Wait for Me to Come Home
by hilandmum
Summary: In the fourth story in the series begun with Moving On, all the unfinished storylines of I'm Gonna Make This Place Your Home will be continued. House is still working at Snow Hill Mercy, Cameron is still running for town council, and everyone else is just keeping on.
1. Chapter 1

As promised, here is the sequel to I'm Gonna Make This Place Your Home.

 **Wait for Me to Come Home**

"Photograph"

So you can keep me  
Inside the pocket  
Of your ripped jeans  
Holdin' me closer  
'Til our eyes meet  
You won't ever be alone  
Wait for me to come home

Chapter 1.

House leaned back in his office chair, eyes closed, mouth open. A knock at the door preceded the entrance of his team. He righted his chair and his eyes popped open.

A knowing smile on Jacobs lips prompted him to blurt, "I wasn't sleeping."

"Of course not."

He ignored her in favor of the tall young man with the spiked blond hair. "What've you got?" House held out a hand for the folder Simpson clutched to his chest.

"The results on Phyllis Brewster's cognitive tests." Simpson opened the folder and spread it in front of House. "She passed with flying colors."

House grinned. "So, I was right all along. Most of her symptoms were due to dosing by her 'best' friend Mary at the behest of Phyllis' nephew."

"Quite a few people will be happy about that." Magnani caught himself the minute the words left his mouth. "Not the dosing. The fact that she doesn't have to return to Mt. Davids."

"Did you tell her and Iris?"

"We thought we'd let you do the honors, boss."

"Where are they?"

"We sent them up to The Garden."

House bolted from his seat and strode to his door, wondering whether he should tell Phyllis and Iris outright, or keep 'em hanging for a bit longer.

He found them on the same bench he first met George. "Thornton used to sit right there."

Phyllis smiled up at him. "I'll have to tell him we picked the same bench."

Suddenly House's plan to play with her a bit before he gave her the good news evaporated. "When you visit him."

"I'm not going back there?"

His gaze shifted to her niece. "See how sharp she is?"

"That's wonderful, House." Iris rose and dared to put a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you so much."

"What did I do?"

"You made it possible for my aunt regain her memory."

"I also proved that your brother should be locked up for a very long time."

###

Cameron ushered her patient out to the reception area. "Carol, Mrs. Jamison will need another appointment in three weeks. I've given her a new prescription for her arthritis. Let's see how this works."

The only one waiting for her was a distressed Bridget Dugan. Her boyfriend wasn't with her. She stood and faced Cameron, wringing her hands.

"Bridget, how can I help you?"

"Is it true? Is my father guilty of all the things they say?" The anguish in her voice touched Cameron's heart.

"Oh, Bridget. I'm sorry. None of us thought to find you and tell you what was happening yesterday." Cameron put a hand on the girl's back. With a glance at Carol, she told her, "Come on back with me and I'll tell you what I know and what we've concluded."

"I can't believe he'd do anything unlawful, harmful to other people." Bridget walked around the examination room, too keyed up to sit.

"You met him only a week or two ago. You can't know what he's capable of." Cameron reached for her arm. "Please sit. It's a long story."

The young woman dropped on the chair where patients' relatives usually sat. "How bad is it?"

"I won't sugar-coat the situation. Ian, your father, was working with Mary Burrell. We think he was the brains behind all they did, but Mary has a mind of her own and may have initiated some actions he knew nothing about." Cameron went on to describe all they'd found over the Labor Day weekend. "They're both in custody now. There's enough proof to put them in prison for some time, but some of what we're thinking has yet to be proven."

Tears coursed down Bridget's face. "I'd only just found him. And now this."

"Bridget, you do have other relatives here. Take some time to get to know your aunt Iris and your great-aunt. I can assure you, they're both lovely women." Cameron remembered they still didn't have the DNA tests back to prove one way or another whether Bridget was Ian's daughter, but Iris and Phyllis were likely to accept her into the family either way.

Bridget slapped a hand to her mouth. "Oh, I didn't even think about how they must feel now. Do you know where they are?" She stood. "Maybe I should go to them and offer my support."

"That would be wonderful, but they're in Snow Hill this morning. Phyllis is going through some tests to determine whether she still should be in a nursing home. Her apparent Alzheimer's is one of the things that we and the cops think was caused by Mary and Ian."

"How could they do such a thing to that sweet old lady?" She finally stopped pacing.

"You'd have to ask them when they return to Shelby. So, are you planning to stay in town?"

"I...I don't know."

"Where's your boyfriend?"

"Matt? He had to return to New York for a business meeting."

"So that's where he lives? You mentioned not needing Ian's money, but I never asked whether you work."

Her mouth quirked. "I'm a model, if you call that working. Oh, not the kind who struts the runway at New York Fashion Week. Too short and definitely not slim enough."

"That's good. Most of them are so thin it isn't healthy."

"I'm a hand model." She spread her fingers on the exam table. "Cosmetic companies use me to demo and photograph their latest trends in nail polish and design." Her fingers were long, and the nails beautifully sculptured.

Cameron grinned. "Is most of the work in New York?"

"A lot of it. The companies are all over, but the ad agencies that set up the shoots are there." She didn't sound anxious to return, though.

"What will you do if you decide to stay here? And what about Matt?"

"To tell you the truth, what I've been doing bores me. But I do love Matt. I met him at one of the agencies, in fact." She shook her head. "I don't know. This town has so much charm. I could see settling down here. If only there was something Matt and I could do in Shelby."

A knock at the door alerted Cameron to her next patient.

Bridget smiled at her. "I've kept you long enough. Thanks for telling me what's happening with my father."

"Your aunt and great-aunt should be back soon. Why don't you talk with them when they return?"

"I'll do that."

Cameron walked her out and turned in surprise at the man waiting for her, Owen Marshall. "Come back to the exam room, Mr. Marshall. What can I do for you today?"

"Oh, I'm not sick, Dr. Cameron." He closed the door to the reception area once they were inside. "I wanted to talk to you about a delicate matter, and I hope you'll be discrete about what I tell you."

"If it's not a medical issue, I'm not sure doctor-patient confidentiality applies."

"Of course. This would be more as a colleague. I know we're not friends, but you'll soon be joining us on the town council, and we'll be working together." His eyes never left her face.

"Perhaps it would be better if you told me what this was about." She indicated the seat Bridget had recently occupied. "Please sit down and tell me why you're here."

Marshall inhaled deeply, then slowly let the air out. "You know, of course, that there are factions on the board. I've never hidden the fact that I usually disagree with many of Principal Berman's proposals, for example."

"And you know that I consider him a friend." She raised her eyebrows.

"Yes, yes." Marshall nodded as if he was formulating what he planned to say. "I respect Berman, more maybe than I do some of the others. At least he's an educated man, one with decided views, but those views are based on what he knows, rather than on hearsay and, dare I say it, prejudice. Unfortunately, there are others, I won't name names, but others on the council who are so opposed to the candidacy of Will Davis that they're willing to try some underhanded, and possibly illegal means to prevent him from winning the mayoral race."

She grimaced. "That's so wrong, but I'm not surprised."

"Davis is another friend of yours, isn't he?"

"Yes. He's also the contractor building our house on that property out towards the bay."

"I can't warn him directly, for various reasons, but I hoped you'd do that for me?" His brows went up.

"Without telling him where I heard about it, I suppose."

"Yes." He seemed to relax.

"Mr. Marshall, it would help if I knew and could tell Will who has it in for him, or at least what they're planning."

"It's Owen. I'm afraid I can't tell you either of those things. I will continue to work on him to back down."

"How imminent is any action against Will? Do you want me to contact him today or will tomorrow be soon enough?"

Marshall hesitated. "Whenever you talk to him will help."

"Can I at least say I don't think the danger comes from you? I'd hate to have him distrust you."

"I believe Will Davis might have a good idea of who he should distrust."

"I'll let you know when I've talked to him." She walked him out.

He turned one last time. "I know you'll share this with Dr. House. That's fine, I don't mind."

"Thanks for confiding in me as much as you did."

With Owen Marshall gone, the reception area was empty except for Carol. "You have no more appointments today. Why don't we grab some lunch together for a change?"

Cameron sensed Carol had something to talk to her about. "Sure. The diner? Or someplace more private?"

"The diner will be fine."

They walked together across the alley between the clinic and the crowded parking lot. The diner was full, but House and Cameron's booth waited for them.

Linda poured coffee for them both. "I'll be back to take your orders."

"Take your time." Cameron watched her move on to a booth further down. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"You know we've been trying to get pregnant, right?"

"Yes, I tested both of you last month. There's no reason you can't"

Carol nodded. "I think I may be...I mean, I did one of those home pregnancy tests. But, the only thing is, Seth and I have been having big fights lately. How do I tell him?"

"First let me do a test to confirm before you even worry about how to tell him." Cameron touched Carol's hand across the table. "I won't pry into what you're arguing about..."

"Oh, it's OK. Mostly they've been about the hours he's working. I know I shouldn't resent it, because he's doing his best to provide for us, but sometimes I think he takes extra shifts because he's avoiding me."

"And you accused him of that?"

"I'm afraid I did. How do I undo it?"

"Are you hoping that telling him you're pregnant will make things good between you again?"

"That would be wishful thinking. I just have to decide whether I apologize first or tell him about the baby first?"

"What did he say when you accused him of avoiding you?"

She frowned. "That I was wrong. That he had to show his boss how dedicated he was."

"Then show him you believe that. It will go a long way to smooth things between you. Meanwhile, I'll run the test, and later you can give him the good news."

Carol sipped her coffee as she thought that over.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for all the great comments on Chapter 1.

 **Chapter 2.**

After lunch, with no patients waiting for her, Cameron made the first of three calls.

"Yes, no, maybe."

"House, you haven't even heard what I had to say."

"So? I bet I'm close."

She laughed, trying to think of ways to phrase her questions so that his presumed answers weren't correct. "Did you know that some of the council members are gunning for Will?"

He hesitated so long, she knew she'd got him. "OK, maybe that should be no, yes, maybe."

"And that Bridget is a hand model?" She was glad he couldn't see the grin on her face.

"A what?"

"You know. One of those people whose hands are used to show off nail polish."

"No and No, then." He made a rude noise. "Why aren't you asking about Phyllis?"

"Because you'll tell me anyway, and because I know the answer to that one. But mostly because it's what you expected."

"You've had a busy morning."

"That's not all." She enjoyed shocking him. "Carol thinks she's pregnant. I'll run a test this afternoon."

"Anything else?"

"Not at this end." She almost wished there was more. "So, tell me, how are things in Snow Hill?"

"I have the team going through files, looking for our next case. You remember what that's like."

"Only too well." Her eyes rolled automatically.

"And Wilson came by earlier."

"I guess I'm not surprised. But he's not thinking of setting up practice there, is he?"

"Nah. He'll return to Princeton later this week, finish up a few cases, and then take some time finding the right place to settle." House chuckled. "And you know how long it can take him to choose."

"And Jessica?"

"He's hoping she'll want to go with him wherever that is."

"House, I hope you'll let him make his own decisions."

He didn't answer.

"I'll see you later. Have a good afternoon."

Cameron was busy the rest of the day. Most of the schools had started either the week before or that day, but some kids still needed her to certify that they were fit enough for school teams. She had a few minutes around three o'clock to run the tests for Carol and confirm that her receptionist was pregnant.

Carol gave her a spontaneous hug. "Despite my dilemma about telling Seth, that's the best news I've had in a while."

"I'm always happy to be the bearer of good news." Cameron grinned. Before she could say more, the door opened and a few more students entered.

###

"How about this one?" Jacobs handed House a file. The team sat around their new conference table, each with a stack of patient files in front of them. "She's had several doctors attempt to discover why she's gaining weight on a very stringent diet. Exercise hasn't helped either."

House perused the file. "Possible, but several possibilities were never explored. Let someone else do it. What else have you got?" He looked around the table.

Simpson shook his head. "All I have is this guy who lost his voice when he had the flu and it never came back. Not really interesting."

"No, it isn't." House dismissed it. "Magnani?"

He looked up from the file he'd been reading. "This guy has a fever but no infection, a hand that goes numb periodically with no apparent cause, and a rash under his other arm. Is there something that could cause all of those symptoms? Because, for the life of me, I can't think of one."

"Lemme see that." House reached a long arm out for the file. After two minutes, he closed it. "We'll start with this one. Check his temperature again and culture a sample from the rash."

"What about the numb hand?" Magnani asked.

"Did anyone do a nerve conduction test?"

They took that to mean they should add it to the list of other tests, and set off to arrange to have the patient assigned to them.

House sat back with a smile as all Cameron told him swirled around in his head. Nothing for him to do about any of it, at least not yet, but it didn't hurt to be prepared with options, especially since he knew he'd think of actions others wouldn't. The person he wanted to help the most was Will, but he still had something else to check on related to everything that was happening in Shelby. He picked up the phone and called the lab. "Did you get those DNA results I asked for last week?"

That settled, he moved on to the question of who might have it in for their contractor. Cameron said Marshall referred to a 'he'. House would have guessed that anyway, but it did narrow the field a little. It sounded like it was someone on the board. The mayor was leaving town, Berman and Zach couldn't be involved, and since Marshall brought Cameron's attention to what might happen, he wasn't the one, either. That left DiMonaco, the newspaper guy Patton, and Buddy Eldridge. If he was a betting man, and he was, he'd put his money on Patton, but the newspaper had never printed anything derogatory about Will.

He might be a betting man, but he wasn't a patient one. No way would he wait until the man played his hand. So, how was he going to force the issue? He closed his eyes and focused on what he knew about each of the three men, and about Will. Slowly a plan began to evolve and grew as only one of his could. By the time his team returned to report that the patient was theirs and the tests scheduled, he could put that aside and listen to them.

"His temperature is still high, one oh one." Jacobs held out a print-out of the patient's current vitals.

As House took it, Simpson said, "The nerve conduction test is scheduled for tomorrow morning and we gave the lab a sample from his rash."

"Guess that's all we can do today." Magnani leaned against the wall.

House's mouth worked. "Not so fast." He scanned the print. "Didn't any of you notice the blood pressure."

Simpson shook his head. "It's not high."

"No, it's low. Very low. Why?"

"Because he was lying down and we had him sit to take his vitals?" Magnani suggested.

"Is that a question?"

"Well, yes. I know blood pressure can decrease under those conditions but then the body compensates."

"So, why didn't you retake the pressure after a few minutes?"

The three interns looked at each other.

House grinned at them. "There are so many causes of low blood pressure, but more important, some can be dangerous."

Jacobs was half-way out the door before the two young men joined her.

###

Cameron saw her last patient of the day out to the parking lot, before turning to Carol. "Do you still want to talk about how to approach Seth?"

"I've written down a few possible things to say, but they all sound whiney."

Cameron held out her hand. "Let me see." She scanned what Carol wrote, tending to agree with the assessment. "Maybe this last one has possibilities. Leave out the initial sentence about arguing with him over your unhappiness with his hours, and it'll be stronger."

"Do you really think so?" Carol took the list back, scratched out a few words from the last paragraph and reread it. "But what else should I say?"

"How about telling him how happy YOU are about the pregnancy?" Cameron sat on the corner of Carol's desk.

"I suppose that would help. And then I can go into this." Carol rose and hugged her boss. "Thanks Allison."

"Carol, I want you to be happy. Seth, too. It'll be too hard to break in a new receptionist slash assistent." Cameron chuckled.

"Well, you'll have to when I take my maternity leave, but that's some time down the road, so you'll have time."

The two women walked out together, and closed and locked the door behind them. As Carol got into her car, she looked back. "I feel much better emotionally than I did when I came in this morning. See you tomorrow."

Cameron watched her pull out into the road, then opened her own car door. She only drove across the alley and parked in the diner lot. With no sign of House's car, she entered expecting to find the booth empty, but Iris and Phyllis were already there.

"I hope you don't mind," Phyllis said. "But I wanted to treat you and Dr. House to dinner tonight. Without the two of you, I'd probably still be at Mt. Davids."

"Oh, you don't have to do that. It was our pleasure. For many reasons, neither one of us likes to see anyone placed in a medical facility if they don't need it."

Iris smiled. "Aunt Phyllis insisted, and I join her in thanking you, not just for her, but also because you've been friendly toward me from the beginning."

"You can repay anything you think you owe us by following your dream, Iris."

Phyllis nodded. "I've been telling her that for the past couple of weeks." Phyllis turned back to Iris. "I love having you work with me at the shop, but you can't neglect your art work any longer."

"Have either of you seen Bridget this afternoon?" Cameron asked. "She visited me this morning to find out what was happening with her father, but also asking how you two felt about her."

"What did the blood test show about her?" Iris asked.

"I'm not sure yet. I guess House will have the results before he comes home. But does it matter? You've met her. What did you think?"

"She's nice, but then she's probably been on her best behavior around us." Iris looked at her aunt. "Aunt Phyllis?"

"I think she's a lovely girl, and I'd like to get to know her better."

"You'll have a chance, at least over the next week." Cameron paused as Linda poured coffee for her and for Iris, and brought Phyllis a cup of tea. "Her fiance had to return to New York, but she's staying on a while."

"I hope you told her to come see us." Phyllis sipped her tea.

"I let her know you'd gone to Snow Hill today but would be back this afternoon," Cameron said. "In fact, I'm surprised she didn't look for you this afternoon. She'll likely see you at the shop tomorrow. Maybe you can ask her to work there. That'll free up some of Iris' time."

"And still keep it in the family. Although Jessica has been great help."

"I have a feeling Jessica won't be hanging around Shelby much longer."

Iris guessed, "Something to do with Dr. Wilson, no doubt."

"Of course."

The three of them chuckled. They'd ordered their food, but before it arrived, House showed up.

"We were talking about Bridget before you arrived. Did you get the DNA test results?"

He grinned. "I did indeed."

Cameron rolled her eyes. "You can tell us, you know."

"I could." He got that cat with a canary look. "OK, OK. Yes, she's Ian's daughter."

Phyllis grinned. "That's wonderful."

"Yes. Now let's hope she hasn't inherited my brother's wayward ways."


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for all the great comments on Chapter 2. I'll try to post a chapter every Sunday, but I'll be doing NaNoWriMo in November, so chapters may be slower coming then.

 **Chapter 3.**

By the time House arrived at the hospital the next day, the patient had been taken for his nerve conduction test. House reread the file, made a note or two to himself, and pretended to be asleep when his team knocked on his door. Must keep up appearances.

"Nerve conduction is normal," Jacobs announced in a voice that implied 'now what?'.

House sat up. "Check his electrolytes and vitamin levels, and thyroid function, too."

"The previous doctors did complete analyses of his blood."

"Do 'em again. Oh, and check for heavy metals, too."

"Aye, aye, mon capitan." Magnani saluted. They left to collect the patient's blood and do a tox screen.

House called after them, "Have you gotten the results from the rash culture yet?"

A 'no' drifted back to him.

House grimaced and told himself to be patient. The tests took time.

###

One of the high school seniors Cameron had picked to shadow her appeared at the clinic as she was unlocking the door in the morning. Rusty Rondello was a gangly young man with reddish-brown hair and soft brown eyes. He'd made the basketball team at the high school, but only as a second-string player.

As they passed through the reception area, Cameron noticed Carol's chair remained empty. "C'mon back to the examination room, Rusty, and I'll show you where I keep everything. Today, I'd like you to watch how I work. By next week, you'll be able to assist me, at least with the routine procedures, OK?"

"Sure Dr. Cameron." He'd been in her exam room himself for flu shots and the tests the school required, not only for athletes, but for all their students. "Whatever I can learn."

Someone knocked on the door, their first patient of the day. Carol still hadn't shown up.

Cameron worked through the morning. Rusty left at eleven to return to school for the rest of the day but would be back on Friday for a couple of hours. He'd already picked up a lot and proven a quick study.

By noon, Cameron had become worried about Carol. If she hadn't felt well, she would have called in. Rather than go to lunch, Cameron drove to Carol and Seth's place off the same west bound road that led to the high school and to House and Cameron's new place.

Carol's car sat in the driveway. Cameron parked behind it and marched up to the front door. The bell rang somewhere inside, but no one came to the door. Something was definitely wrong. She turned the knob, but the door was locked. Time to call for help.

She reached the dispatch officer at the police department. "Hello, this is Dr. Cameron. I'm out at Carol and Seth Davis' place. Her car's here but no one's answering the door. She never came in to work this morning."

"One minute, Dr. Cameron. I'll see who's free to come out there and help you."

While she waited, Cameron walked around the house to the back gate. It was latched but easy to open. The back door, leading to the kitchen, was locked, and none of the windows were open. She went back to the front walk to wait. No sense using the break-in skills House taught her if the police were coming.

Five minutes later, Chief Anderson himself pulled up at the curb. "Thanks for calling, doc." He pulled out a set of skeleton keys.

Once they were inside, Cameron ran up the stairs, calling Carol's name. She found her in the master bedroom, moaning on the bed, bruises on her arms and legs already turning a myriad of colors.

"Carol, what happened?" She rushed to Carol's side, examining her head first, her eyes which were responsive, and then her extremities. "Who did this to you? It wasn't Seth, was it?"

Carol tried to swallow. Cameron turned to Anderson who stood behind her. "Bring her a glass of water and a wet cloth from the bathroom."

Once Carol drank a bit and Cameron bathed her wounds, the doctor repeated her questions. "What happened? Who did this?"

"It wasn't Seth." Carol seemed to feel it was most important to tell them Seth wasn't to blame. "Someone broke in while we were eating breakfast. He threatened my husband and chased me up to the bedroom. Seth pulled him away from me but not before the guy beat me with his fists. He and Seth fought."

"Did you recognize the perpetrator?" Anderson pulled out his recorder.

Carol shook her head, but cradled it in her hands. "That hurts."

"Carol, can you answer the police chief's questions?"

"Yes. It may be the only way to help Seth." She sipped more water. "He wore a mask, the man who attacked us. He pulled out a gun forced Seth downstairs. I heard the door slam, but my head hurt so much, and so did my arms and legs. I...I couldn't move."

"Carol, do you know whether or not Seth was having a problem with anyone, either at work or anywhere else?" Anderson asked.

"I don't know. He's been acting strangely lately." She turned to Cameron. "I think some of our arguments were due to his state of mind."

Cameron had to know. "Did you tell him about the baby?"

Carol nodded slowly, probably to avoid more pain. "Last night. In fact, we had a great talk. I took your advice. And now he's gone."

"Carol, we'll find him." Anderson turned off his recorder. "Doctor, you've got things under control here?"

"Yes. My assistant here will recover faster when you find her husband."

Anderson left to get the wheels rolling in the search for Seth Davis.

"I'm so afraid when they find him, Seth will be dead." Carol's tears fell down her bruised face.

Cameron brushed Carol's hair back from her forehead. "You should spend your energy recovering both for yourself and for that child you're carrying. Worrying about Seth won't help. Anderson is much better at this than you or I."

"Seems to me without your help and House's, he would never have found proof about Ian's guilt."

"He pulled his own weight."

Carol sighed. "All right. I'll take your word for it." Carol squeezed her eyes shut. "I wish my head would stop hurting."

"I'll get you some Tylenol and more water. Now, lay back and relax." Cameron took the empty glass and went to the bathroom. The medicine cabinet didn't hold anything suspicious. She took out the Acetaminophen and refilled the glass before returning to Carol.

Carol took the two white pills from her and wash them down with the water.

Cameron also brought some salve to treat the cuts on her face and arms.

"That feels better." But Carol began to cry again. "Why can't I stop?"

"Because you've been through a traumatic experience. Carol, you're hurt, you're worried about Seth no matter what I said, and on top of all that, you're hormonal due to the pregnancy." Cameron put the cap back on the tube of salve.

"So what do I do about it?" Her voice was a wail.

Cameron had been trying to decide what to suggest. "There has to be a reason why someone came after the two of you. You say Seth has been acting a little strangely, but if this doesn't have anything to do with him, could it have anything to do with you?"

"Me?" Carol's forehead furrowed. "Why would someone be after me?"

"I can't think of any reason, and they took Seth. That's why I believe he's the one. Now we have to find out a reason someone would want to harm him."

"No." Her voice was so high it squeaked. "Allison, you know us. What did we ever do to anyone?"

"Well, there was that incident when Seth practically poisoned the entire town." Cameron smirked and squeezed Carol's shoulder to show she didn't think anyone would hold a grudge after all this time. "I doubt it had anything to do with that accident. Everyone's fully recovered. I bet most have even forgotten."

"I hope so."

"So, tell me a little about Seth's family." Cameron had never heard Carol mention any in-laws.

"Well, you knew he was an orphan, right?"

Cameron shook her head. "I don't think I did."

"Yeah. The Davis family adopted him when he was about three."

Something clicked that had been stuck in the back of Cameron's head for a while. "So, he's related to Will and Sharon?"

"Why, yes. Again, I thought you knew that."

"Davis is a common enough name. And as many times as Rachel has worked at the clinic, you never mentioned anything about it."

"I guess I haven't. The family adopted four kids, Seth, Will, Valerie, who's a stockbroker in New York, and Celeste. Poor Celeste. She died in her twenties from an overdose."

"Were Seth and Will close growing up?"

"Not really. Will's about ten years older. The two girls were in between in age."

"Are the adoptive parents still alive?" Cameron was getting a funny feeling about all of this.

"Tom passed on about ten years ago, and Beth's in a facility in Baltimore. Seth goes to visit her about once every month or two."

"I don't think Will's ever mentioned his family, either."

"I doubt what happened here is family-related."

Cameron wondered how much she could tell Carol about what Owen Marshall said about threats to Will. "Carol, remember when Mr. Marshall came to the office yesterday?"

"Yes. What does that have to do with this?"

"He told me someone might be after Will."

"Why would they try to get to him through Seth? I told you. They're not close."

"But someone might think they are."

"Wouldn't they go after Sharon and Rachel before us? And they're closer to Sharon's mother than to us."

Cameron agreed with Carol. Still, it was a possibility, especially since they hadn't come up with another reason anyone would attack Seth and Carol. "Let's wait and see what Chief Anderson comes up with."

Carol examined her fingers and sniffed back her tears. "I still have that bad feeling about Seth. Like he's hurt badly, or even..." Sobs shook her body.

Cameron rubbed her back, small circles and than larger ones, as she let Carol cry.

###

The tests on the team's patient were inconclusive, although the rash was definitely not from an infection. The tox screen showed no heavy metals in his system.

House sent Jacobs and Magnani to order an echo-cardiogram, even though there were no signs there was something wrong with his heart. He had Simpson return to the patient to review his family history.

Meanwhile, House listed all the negatives they'd established on his new whiteboard. The strangest thing was the lack of any positive data beyond the consistently high temperature.

He was studying the board when Lembach came to his door. "I understand your team is treating Mr. Kendall."

"Who?"

She chuckled. "Your current patient. He's a close friend of Dr. Meisner's, so I wanted to tell you he expects a quick diagnosis."

House shook his head. "The case will take as long as it takes." He pointed to the board. "We've ruled a lot out. That'll help us hone in on what's wrong with him."

"So you still don't know. You'll tell me when you do?"

"Oh, we'll know before long." In his head he added, I hope.

"Good." She left, and he went back to studying the board, tilting his head this way and that, as if it would help him. But then he erased the whole thing, and replaced it with the initial symptoms. "What would explain all of these? Or are we looking at two distinct causes?" he muttered to himself.

His phone played "Beautiful". He ignored it, then shook his head and picked up just before the call went to voicemail. "This better be important."

"House, you know I wouldn't call if it wasn't. Someone attacked Carol and Seth at their house this morning, and then abducted Seth."


	4. Chapter 4

Glad you've all found this story. Thanks for all the great comments.

 **Chapter 4.**

"Is the attack on Carol and Seth important enough for you?" Cameron asked.

"On a scale of ten, it's a nine. Anderson's on it?" He clutched his phone to his ear and turned from the whiteboard.

"Yes. He was the first one I called. When Carol didn't come in today, and I couldn't reach her, I drove to her place. She was beaten, lying in her bed."

He tapped his cane three times. "Did she recognize the assailant?"

"No. He wore a mask. We don't know whether he was after her or her husband. House, she's pregnant, so I had her sent to the hospital. You'll make sure she gets checked out quickly?"

"So that's why you called." He did want to examine Carol himself, or have his team do it, so it was a no-brainer. "Sure."

"Did you realize Seth and Will were adopted by the same family?"

She was on a roll, but he was less surprised than he could have been. "It struck me that the last names were the same, but I never saw them interact in any way or heard them refer to each other. It could have been coincidence."

"Right. Rachel spent plenty of hours helping me, but she never said anything and neither did Carol. It seems since Seth and Will are about ten years apart in age, they didn't have that much interaction as children either."

"And you think this has something to do with what Marshall told you about Will." He certainly did.

"I wouldn't rule it out. But if we didn't know they were related, who did?" Cameron was using him as a sounding board, just as he sometimes used her.

"Only someone else related to them, I would think. Or someone who knew them as kids." He thought through what he wanted to propose. "Did you let Will know about Seth?"

"Not yet. I thought I'd wait until I heard from Anderson. But it could be the introduction I need to start a conversation about who might want to harm Will. I'll let you know. Right now, I should get back to the clinic. I've been gone over two hours. Make that two-and-a-half."

"See you later." His finger was above the end button when he heard her calling his name. "Yeah, what else?"

"What have you found out about your patient?"

"His rash isn't from an infection, he's free of heavy metals, and he's a friend of Meisner's."

"Who expects you to get immediate results. I won't keep you any longer. Bye."

He finally ended the call and looked up to find Simpson standing in the conference room doorway. "Well?"

"The family history is exactly what was in his file. His own medical history is boring and not at all helpful, and I feel as if I just wasted two hours."

"Poor Bart." Jacobs came up behind him.

"Oh, yeah?" Simpson frowned. "And what did you and lasagna boy find?"

"Nada." She narrowed her eyes at the whiteboard. "Are we looking at this all wrong?"

"You tell me." House swiveled his chair three hundred and sixty degree. "But I think it can wait because I still didn't have lunch." He rose in one fluid motion and was out the door before either of them could say anything.

"Guess we might as well join him." Simpson and Jacobs headed for the elevators.

House stood in front of the closed doors, still waiting when they reached him.

"Magnani is already in the cafeteria finding us a table," Jacobs said.

Once they had their food and sat at the table Magnani had held for them, House told his team about Carol and Seth. He left out the part about Seth and Will's adoptive relationship.

"So you want us to examine her, make sure she and the baby are all right?" Jacobs seemed anxious to take the job on.

Simpson shrugged. "Guess it beats running tests that show nothing."

"After lunch we'll find where they've taken her." Magnani wiped ketchup off his chin. His burger dripped the stuff.

"And then test our patient for allergies."

"You think that's what caused the rash?"

"And maybe the fever. Don't know about the numbness, but who knows with allergies. It depends on what the allergen is." That was enough to keep them busy all afternoon while he looked into the connection between Will and Seth and who might know about it.

###

Cameron found only one patient waiting at the clinic door.

"I didn't know whether to stay or to come back later." Mrs. Watkins' squeaky voice always grated on Cameron's nerves. Too bad she had so many ailments, she visited the clinic one ever two weeks or so.

"I apologize for keeping you waiting." Cameron hastily opened the door and the two of them entered. "I had a pressing medical matter to take care of."

"Oh. I didn't know you made house calls."

Cameron shook her head. She had done so on occasion but didn't want it widely known. "It was nothing like that. I had to make sure that an injured patient was sent to the hospital. So, how can I help you today?"

"Well, you know how my arthritis was making it difficult for me to walk?" She paused.

Cameron felt she was waiting for confirmation and wouldn't get to the point without it. "Yes, I do."

"Well, yesterday I could get out of my chair. I was sitting by my window in the brocade chair I got at the little antique store near the town center. You know the one. Phyllis Brewster's place."

"Yes, I know it."

"And I tried to stand to make myself a cup of tea. Darjeeling. There's no other kind to drink in the afternoon, don't you think?" It seemed her story would never end.

Cameron smiled and nodded.

"Why, I felt as if I was stuck to the chair. Glued down. It took me a full twenty minutes to get out of the chair."

"I doubt that was due to your arthritis."

"But what else could it be?"

"Let me examine you. Perhaps it was the angle of the chair." Cameron couldn't think of why the woman couldn't rise, but she'd have to see the chair in question before she decided. Meanwhile, she'd give Mrs. Watkins the attention she sought.

She spent ten minutes poking and prodding the woman's hips and knees, thighs and calves, then felt along her spine. "Have you ever had a problem rising from that chair before?"

"Well, it's new, you know. I mean, I only recently bought it, so I hadn't had the occasion to sit in it much before."

"It's always possible that it's not the right size or shape for you. Does the chair have arms?"

"What?"

"Many chairs have arms." Cameron pointed to the ones on her desk chair. "A person sitting in the chair can push down on them to help them stand."

"Oh. Well, no, I don't think so."

"Perhaps I should look at it and watch as you get out of it to determine the problem."

"Oh, would you? That would be splendid. But what would I do with it if I can't sit in it?"

Cameron thought the problem was more that she couldn't get out of it. "I'm sure Phyllis would refund your money or allow you to trade it for another that fits you better. A similar chair, but with arms."

"That would be lovely. When can you inspect the chair?"

"I should be able to tomorrow, around one o'clock?"

The old woman's smile broadened. "That would be splendid." It seemed to be her favorite expression.

"And for now, you should go home and rest. Sit in a chair with arms to see if that's better."

"I suppose I can do that. Thank you so much, Dr. Cameron. I knew I could count on you."

The woman finally left, and Cameron collapsed in her desk chair.

###

House's team reported to him with big smiles on their faces. "Carol's injuries aren't serious." Jacobs leaned against the door jamb. "She's definitely pregnant, perhaps two months along."

"We sent her home by taxi," Simpson added. "Maybe you should ask Chief Anderson to guard her."

"I will." And that way House could pump Anderson for any developments in the search for Seth. "What about our patient?"

"His allergy tests are scheduled for an hour from now. Do you honestly think the rash is from contact dermatitis or a reaction to something he ate? Wouldn't one of the previous doctors have noticed that?"

"You tell me. Do you have that much faith in the ability of the doctors who failed to diagnose him?"

"It doesn't look like a dermatitis type of rash. Much too big, red and irregular."

"But if it's been left untreated, it could be that large."

"No use speculating. When you did the tox screen, besides the lack of heavy metals, did you note anything else?"

"His electrolytes were slightly low, but that's not unusual. We've prescribed a saline drip that should take care of it."

"He's had a fever. That would usually lead to high levels of sodium," House reasoned.

"He's also been drinking large amounts of water."

House sucked in a breath, puffed out his cheeks and blew it out. "Let's see what the allergy tests show."

The team left again to be on hand when the tests were run. House picked up the phone and called Chief Anderson.

"Dr. House, I bet I can guess why you're calling." Laughter brimmed in Anderson's voice.

"I wanted to let you know that Carol Davis will be fine. Her injuries aren't severe. But I suggest you send someone out to her place to make sure she stays that way."

A chuckle burst through. "And you want to know whether I've located her husband yet."

"Only if you're willing to divulge what you know and what you've done."

Anderson said, "Don't mind if I do. We've talked to the folks he works with. No one knows of a reason anyone should be after him. None of the neighbors saw anything, so we don't have any leads on who might have broken into their house. Carol couldn't identify the perp, but I'm going to follow-up with her. Maybe she remembers something else. I'll post a man at her place to watch over her, but, to tell you the truth, at the moment we don't have any leads."

House wasn't surprised. It had only been a few hours since the attack, and fewer still since Anderson had been called. "Thanks for your candor."

"Doc, I've been square with you. Is there something you know that you're not telling me? Say, something Carol told her boss, or something about Seth?"

House hesitated. He couldn't tell Anderson about Marshall's warning, but he could tell the police chief about the Will connection. "Did you know that Seth and Will Davis were adopted by the same family?"

Anderson's gasp gave him his answer. "Who told you that?"

"Carol told Dr. Cameron. It might not have anything to do with the attacks on Seth and Carol, especially since the two men aren't close, but it's another line to investigate."

Anderson blew out a whistle. "Are you saying someone's trying to get to the mayoral candidate through his brother?"

House smiled. Anderson had gotten the hint. "I'm not saying anything. You didn't hear it from me. But could it be possible?"

"Thanks Doc. We'll just have to see about that."

House was still smiling when he ended the call. He and Cameron could investigate from their end, but having the police chief looking into the connection officially couldn't hurt.


	5. Chapter 5

This story is moving along. Thanks for the great comments. Sorry this is a day late, but we were gone for a three-day weekend.

 **Chapter 5.**

When Cameron had finished for the day, she called Carol to ask how her assistant was feeling.

"Guess I'm OK physically." Carol didn't sound happy. "But Anderson hasn't made any progress with finding Seth and I'm worried."

Cameron could understand that. "Did you want me to come over? Can I bring you anything?"

"I think I'll open a can of soup and heat it, then try to get some sleep. Don't worry. If I need anything, you'll be the first person I call."

"If you're sure."

"I'm sure. Dr. House gave me something for the pain that's safe for the baby."

Cameron's next call was to her contractor. "Hi Will."

"You're calling about Seth."

That brought her up short. "How'd you know?"

Will's deep chuckle didn't last long. "Chief Anderson stopped by to ask if I knew anything. Truth is, I haven't spoken to Seth in about two weeks. I asked him to help with some work on your house. He's a darned good plumber."

"I didn't know that." She grimaced. "It seems there's a lot I didn't know about him."

"He was supposed to start at the end of the month. Said he was happy for the extra work."

"Were you able to tell Anderson anything else? Did Seth say anything about why he needed extra work, for instance?"

"No, I thought at the time he was being deliberately vague."

Cameron moved her phone and scratched his ear. That sounded like Seth had some kind of problem he wasn't willing to share, so maybe this didn't have anything to do with Will. "How's the campaign going?"

"Allison, what does that have to do with my brother?"

"Nothing. Probably." Her brain was filled with details that didn't quite fit together. "Everyone tells me you and I are sure to win seats on the council, and you'll be the next mayor."

"You've heard the rumors that an effort to keep me from winning is in the works."

"Why...I…I mean, yes, I heard something like that but I don't take much stock in rumors."

"Right." He hesitated. "Allison, do you think the attack on Seth is the first salvo?"

"No!" She couldn't keep her voice down to its usual tone, something House always teased her about.

Will chuckled. "I think I know who's behind the campaign against me and they wouldn't think to use Seth."

"Who?" she blurted.

"Patton, of course. He's never liked me, but now I'm about to take what he wanted for himself."

"He wanted to be mayor?" She'd never considered that.

"Sure. He thinks that would give him the power to get out from under Marshall's thumb."

"But it was..." She was more confused than ever.

"What was what?"

"Nothing. So why don't you think Stephen Patton would try to get to you through Seth?"

"For one thing, like most of the people in this town, he doesn't know we're related. And for another, he's too direct. If he came after a relative of mine it would be Sharon or Rachel. I've already warned them, though."

"Good. I wish I knew more about Seth's friends and the people he worked with."

"The people at work varied, just as the crews I have. Only a handful stay on a job from beginning to end. I can tell you his best friends are Jerry Fisher and Al Reedy." Will chuckled. "They've been pals since high school."

"Thanks, Will. That's a start."

"Doc, you're not planning on pursuing this yourself, are you? I thought Anderson was handling the case."

"He is. But you should know by now that we can't keep our noses out of any mysteries."

Will chuckled. "Maybe I should add a P.I.'s office to your house, so you can put out a shingle."

Cameron was indignant. "We're both too busy as doctors."

"Too busy to keep your attention on patients and out of investigations?" He laughed again. "I have to go back to making sure your roofing materials are here before I go home for the night. It's been fun talking to you."

Once the call was finished, she texted House: Will thinks Patton's the one after him but wouldn't attack Seth. She didn't know whether he was on his way home, so she didn't want to call. As it turned out, he'd beaten her to their booth at the diner.

No hello. No kiss. "Why would Patton attack Seth and Carol?"

"Will's sure he doesn't know about their relationship. Besides, Patton would be more direct."

"But he's certain Patton's the one who will try to sabotage his mayoral race?" House stirred his coffee. "It could be someone else."

"We'll have to keep an eye on the editorials and stories he runs in the paper." She grinned. "Speaking of which, Will thinks we should open a P.I. business on the side."

"I thought we already had." House was able to keep a straight face, but she laughed.

"Anyway, Will has Sharon and Rachel on alert."

"Good." House looked up as Linda approached.

While she took their orders they refrained from talking, but once she left they returned to the discussion.

Cameron unfolded her napkin and put it on her lap. "Do you agree that Patton will smear Will's reputation so he's not elected mayor?"

House shrugged. "There aren't too many other possibles."

"Then why didn't he start when nominations were announced? He has the resources and the public's ear, or rather eyes."

House snickered. "Who reads newspapers anymore?"

"That's true. So how much influence would he have?" It didn't make sense to Cameron. "But who else could do more?"

"Ah, that's the problem. Who else and what could they do? Will has an excellent reputation in this town, which is why everyone thought he'd be an excellent candidate for mayor."

Cameron sighed. "You don't think Marshall's warning was to distract us while he went after Will, do you?"

"To what end?"

"Good question."

Linda brought a salad for Cameron and minestrone for House. They ate, each lost in thought until House put his spoon down in his empty bowl. "Anderson hasn't made much progress with finding Seth."

"No. I meant to tell you. Will gave me the names of Seth's best friends. Should we talk to them?" Cameron chewed on the last piece of tomato from her salad.

"Anyone we know?"

"Jerry Fisher and Al Reedy. I've treated Fisher's wife and kids, but I don't think I know Reedy other than the fact that he works at the gas station." She pointed toward the window with her fork.

"If he's working this evening we can approach him after we eat."

"Good idea."

As if that summoned her, Linda appeared with their ravioli.

"Linda, do you know whether Al's working at the gas station tonight?" Cameron asked.

"He should be getting off in a few minutes, and then he'll come in for his dinner. Never misses ravioli night." She set their plates in front of them and left to serve another customer.

Five minutes later, a thirty-something man entered. His dark hair was combed and his hands and face were clean, but grease stained his t-shirt. Before he could reach the counter, Cameron called to him. "Al, we'd like to speak with you a minute."

He looked at one, then the other through slitted eyes. "What's this about?"

Cameron flashed a bright smile. "Nothing to worry about. Well, there is something. Did you hear about Seth Davis?"

He nodded as comprehension seemed to dawn. "His wife works with you, Dr. Cameron, doesn't she?"

"Yes. She's so worried about him. Did Chief Anderson talk to you? When did you see Seth last?"

He gave it a bit of thought. "We had a beer Sunday night at the festivities on the town square. Seth loves his beer."

"So I've heard. Did he say anything about any problems he was having at work or something?" Cameron wanted to leave it open, but she didn't want him to think she believed there was any friction between Seth and Carol.

"Seth? Nah. He was an easy going sorta guy, ya know? We've been friends like forever. I've never heard anyone complain about him."

"So he didn't confide anything in you?" House asked.

Al shook his head. His eyes strayed to their food. "Looks good."

"I bet Linda saved some for you. Thanks, now go get something to eat." Cameron turned back to her food as he walked away. "Well, that was a dead end."

"Not necessarily." House pointed to Al's back. Rather than sit at the counter, he walked over to another booth, one occupied by Stephen Patton.

"What's he doing here? I've never seen him eating at Mo's before." Cameron paused, her fork half-way between her plate and her mouth.

But Al didn't stay long. He handed a piece of paper to Patton and finally took a stool at the counter.

House and Cameron exchanged glances and frowns. "How do we find out what that was about?" Cameron asked.

"This may be the time to be direct." House rose and sauntered toward Patton.

Cameron remained in her seat, watching the action, and forking half a ravioli to her mouth. The flavor was so good, though, that her attention became divided. Still, she saw House stop and speak to the newspaper editor.

Patton rose to face him but stood a distance away. That didn't stop House, who took a step closer, not so much to get into Patton's face but to reach for the paper that still sat on the table. House scanned it, put it back and turned on his heel to return to Cameron.

"It was a receipt for gas," he said.

"What?" Cameron's fork fell with a clang.

"Guess Patton got gas and forgot the receipt. Al probably knew it was his and brought it with him."

"So they aren't conspiring against Seth or Will?"

"Well, they still might be, but that's not what the piece of paper was about." He pointed to his plate. "How's the ravioli tonight?"

"Perfect. Dig in. It's getting cold."

With lots of 'yums' and 'nums' they ate their dinners.

"Anything new on your patient?" Cameron asked.

"The team did some allergy testing this afternoon to try to explain the rash."

"And?" she prompted.

"Initially nothing definitive, but there was some indication of a food allergy."

Cameron shook her head. "That wouldn't cause a rash on only one part of anyone's body."

"True. But I guessed there were other rashes the patient hasn't shown anyone in, um, more sensitive areas." House's grin and bouncing eyebrows made Cameron laugh.

"And, of course, you instructed your team to examine those, um, sensitive areas."

"Well, of course. I wouldn't be a conscientious diagnostician if I didn't have them do a thorough exam."

She rolled her eyes. "And?"

"A couple of spots, some he might not have noticed, except they itched like crazy." He rolled his eyes. "Some patients are so dumb."

"Hence your prediction that it's a food allergy."

"Hence. They haven't pinpointed the culprit yet, but they will."

"Such confidence."

He didn't want to talk about his patient anymore. "What's been happening at the clinic? I'd imagine, with Carol out you've have your hands full, and yet you had time to gather all this info on Will and Seth."

"Mrs. Watkins came in."

It was House's turn to chuckle. "What is it now? Her little pinkie won't bend?"

"Close. She's been having a hard time getting out of a chair she bought from Phyllis." Cameron snickered. "Of course, the fact that it doesn't have arms that she can use to help lift herself only came out late in her lament. I told her I'd come watch her try tomorrow, but that I was sure Phyllis would be happy to exchange it for a similar one with arms."

House laughed. "I love it when someone else has a clinic patient like the ones I used to have to treat. Those days are gone forever."

"No, now you have patients with rashes due to a food allergy." Cameron joined him in laughing.


	6. Chapter 6

Here's another chapter of this story. Glad you're enjoying it. After the next chapter next week, chapters might be posted further apart, since I'll be doing NaNoWriMo throughout November.

 **Chapter 6.**

Cameron checked her phone for the tenth time. "Still no word from Anderson on Seth."

"There's not much more we can do. Finish your pie and we'll go home."

Linda arrived at their booth to take House's plate and made sure they had enough coffee. "Tell Carol I'm praying for her husband's safe return."

"Thanks, Linda. I will. You can take my plate, too." Cameron wiped her mouth and, after Linda left, stood. "I'll see you at the house."

She followed House home. Mrs. McClelland sat at her kitchen table, waiting for them. "Have they found Seth Davis?" She sounded sad.

Cameron shook her head. "Chief Anderson is working on a couple of leads, but nothing so far. Last time I spoke to Carol, she was going to try and get some sleep."

House nodded. "We gave her something for the pain from her bruises." He didn't add the meds wouldn't hurt the baby. It would be Carol's decision about when to broadcast the news that on top of everything else, she was pregnant.

"Was she that badly hurt?"

Cameron nodded. "Whoever did this roughed her up quite a bit."

"Poor woman. I'll bring her something in the morning."

Cameron squeezed her arm. "I'm sure she'll appreciate it."

"How well do you know Carol and Seth?" House sat opposite their landlady.

"Well enough. Seth and Duncan were in the same class at school. They weren't close friends. I think Seth was closer to Al Reedy and Jerry Fisher."

"Yes. We saw Al at Mo's earlier and he's very worried about Seth."

"They all played football together. There were a few others. Duncan's best friend, Rudy Thomson, was on the team with them, but Rudy moved to Baltimore when they were all in their senior year." Mrs. McClelland narrowed her eyes. "I remember one time after their team won the championship over Snow Hill. That would have been in their junior year. They had a big party at Jerry's house. It was the biggest one, of course. Seth's parents, I should say adoptive parents, I suppose, didn't want him to go and they asked me to intervene."

"So you knew Mr. and Mrs. Davis?"

"Oh, yes. Strange people. You'd think someone who'd adopt a couple of boys would have big hearts." She shook her head. "I did finally convince them to let Seth go to the party. The kids had a great time. Oh, they got a little drunk, but I guess they knew when to stop drinking."

"Edna, you knew the Davis family, that besides Seth they adopted Will?" Cameron asked. 

"Why, yes."

"Who else knew that?"

She looked aghast. "You don't think Will had something to do with Seth's abduction, do you?"

"No. But we don't know who knew that the two of them were brothers, adopted by the same parents." Cameron tapped House's shoulder. "I think we've done enough damage for today."

"Oh, I don't know. I can think of a couple of shenanigans we can get up to."

"House, let's leave Mrs. M. to her own devices and take those shenanigans downstairs."

"When you put it that way." He stood. "Race you to the stairs."

They were only eight feet away, but she let him win and followed him down to their place. Once they were inside, she said, "This vendetta against Will, how far do you think it'll go?"

"If the aim is to prevent him from becoming mayor, I doubt anyone's in real danger."

"And if it goes beyond that?"

House shrugged. "Why should it? What did he ever do to anyone?"

"True enough."

"Cameron, are you worried about Sharon and Rachel? Because you said he's warned them and they're taking precautions."

"I don't know." She gave a little shiver. "Maybe Seth's abduction has me spooked."

"I doubt anyone will physically go after Will or even his company, if you're concerned about that."

She shrugged. "Guess I'm just being silly."

"You? Silly? Never." His arms slipped around her, and she rested her head on his chest. "So when do the shenanigans start?" He pulled back and looked into her eyes.

She ran a finger over his lips then followed with her own mouth. When the kiss ended, she grinned at him. "That's just the beginning."

His hands slid down her back to press on her buttocks, bringing her closer to him. "Shenanigans are best played completely naked."

"So I've been told." She opened the buttons of his shirt, one after the other.

His fingers moved back up, under the hem of her shirt. He lifted it up and over her head, then kissed the swell over the top of her bra and the hollow beneath her collarbone. She smiled at him as she ran her palms over his hips. They continued to undress each other, stopping periodically to caress one sensual spot or another.

"You always make me feel so good, both inside and out." She kissed his lips.

"Sometimes I think I can never get enough of you." He showed her what he meant by kissing her all over. "I can do anything if I do it with you."

"You don't need me, but it's great to know you think so."

"Cameron, you know how dysfunctional I was before. Not that I'm normal now."

She chuckled. "You could never be normal, and that's a good thing as far as I'm concerned."

He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. "You will agree we're good together."

"House, we're great together."

Their focus returned to pleasuring each other. They only stopped to open the couch, then stretched out together, skin to skin.

Cameron felt the excitement, the heat rise in both their bodies. He made her tingle more than any other man ever did. And she knew how to reach the next level. She pressed herself against him, smiling at his response.

Neither of them could wait any longer. Their arms and legs entwined. They joined, soaring together to the highest heights, lingered there as long as they could, before slowly coming down.

They fell asleep touching each other and very satisfied.

In the morning, Cameron was surprised to find House's side of the bed empty. When he emerged from the bathroom, he was already dressed.

"Where's the fire?" she asked.

"I had a brilliant idea in the middle of the night and forced myself to wait until morning to get up to execute."

"Does that mean no good morning kiss? No breakfast? Do you plan to share this brainstorm of yours?"

"Get dressed and I'll decide."

I showered as quickly as I could and pulled on my clothing in less than half an hour. "OK. Spill."

"Do you remember the way we figured out that Mary and Ian were behind all of Phyllis' problems as well as the attack on Pamela and DiMonaco's shooting?"

"Remember? It was only last week."

"Yeah, well, this is still a small town. People know things. All we have to do is ask the right people the right questions."

"And you know the right people and the right questions?"

"Well, not yet, but how hard can it be to find out what they are? It's a small town."

"You already said that."

"Right. So, I have to get to the hospital, but first we'll have breakfast in that hotbed of gossip and source of factual information."

"The diner it is." She straightened the bed and closed it, grabbed her purse and started up the stairs. They took House's car. Cameron could walk to work from the diner.

He parked as close to the diner as he could. "Cameron, I'm counting on the fact that people tell you things."

"Yes, and I'll keep my ears open. But what are you going to do?" She smirked at him before getting out.

House's team filled their booth, but squeezed together to let House and Cameron in.

"Morning. Guess you haven't heard the latest." Jacobs paused while they shook their heads. "Chief Anderson and his men found Seth in an abandoned house on Cherry Lane."

Cameron body tensed. "Is he alive?"

"Oh, yes. But he was bound and gagged. I think they took him to the hospital. Guess we'll be examining him as soon as we get in, huh, boss?"

"How did you hear about all this?" Cameron was surprised that neither Anderson nor Carol had called her with the news.

"One of Anderson's deputies was in here grabbing coffees when we arrived. They'd been up since four in the morning looking for Seth or clues to his whereabouts."

"You'd better finish your breakfast and scoot on down to the hospital." House didn't seem to be in any rush himself.

"Almost done." Magnani shoved a piece of toast into his mouth.

House let him out of the booth, while Cameron stood, too, to let Simpson and Jacobs out.

"We'll see you in Snow Hill, boss. Chances are we'll have more info on Seth when you arrive."

"No doubt."

"I'm surprised you didn't go with them." Cameron pulled out her phone to call Carol.

"Can't leave without breakfast." He snagged the triangle of toast Jacobs hadn't eaten.

"No answer. Where could Carol be?"

"How about at the hospital with her husband."

"Oh, I hadn't thought of that. Guess she has her phone off." She looked up as Linda arrived to take their orders.

She poured their coffee. "Ya hear about Seth?" the waitress asked.

"Why are we the last to hear?" Cameron was flabbergasted.

They ordered and Linda left.

Cameron still was satisfied. "So, what do you think you'll accomplish here while your team is examining Seth?"

"I doubt he can tell us anything. But the place where they found him could be teeming with evidence."

"Don't you think Anderson and his men are combing it? They've had a head start and the tools that we don't."

"Doesn't mean I can't snoop around the place, or find out what they've discovered so far." House's smug smile indicated he had even more in mind than just snooping.

"House, you're a doctor. You can help by taking care of Seth and Carol's injuries."

"I'm a diagnostician. I solve puzzles. This is a puzzle. Ergo, I have an obligation to them to get to the bottom of this."

She wanted to argue more, but her heart wasn't in it. The truth was she was as addicted to solving puzzles as House. As she ate her breakfast she wondered what she should do. House would only tell her his plans if he thought she could help. So he was going solo. Well, she could, too.

After they finished their meal, Cameron walked him out to his car and kissed him. "See you later."

He didn't even pretend to drive south to Snow Hill. Instead, he drove toward the center of Shelby, possibly the place they found Seth.

She strolled to the clinic, deep in thought about what he was up to, and what she should do. Rusty waited for her to open the door. "Dr. Cameron, I heard about Carol. Is she going to be all right?"

"Yes. She only had superficial injuries. Chief Anderson found Seth, too. He's at Snow Hill Mercy for evaluation."

Rusty smiled. "That's good. I guess they don't know who abducted him, though."

"No they don't. Well, let's get ready for our first patient."

They were ready quickly. But before the first patient arrived, her phone rang.

"House, what's up?"

"Get out to our house. Fast."

"I'm on my way."


	7. Chapter 7

It's November, and most of you know I'm doing NaNoWriMo throughout the month, plus a story for Yuletide. I'll also be out of town the last eight days of November and into December.

Here's the next chapter. Don't know when the next one will be ready to post.

 **Chapter 7.**

Cameron left Rusty at Carol's desk with instructions to let any patients know she'd be back soon. He'd call her with any emergencies.

She sped out to the construction site. Hundreds of scenarios went through her mind as she drove. House hadn't given her a clue about what she'd find.

Traffic near the high school held her up. She sat waiting, slamming her palms against the steering wheel. "C'mon, already," she muttered. Finally the way was clear and she could continue on.

House stopped her at the start of the lane leading to the house. From there she couldn't see anything amiss. "What's wrong?" She got out and left her car. He took her hand and walked with her, still not saying anything.

The site looked fine. What didn't was the lack of any activity. No workmen finishing the framing, no bricks being laid.

"Where's Will? And where's his crew?"

"When they arrived this morning, they found the scaffolding at the back of the house completely destroyed, but even worse, one of the men was unconscious next to it. Will and the foreman went with him to the hospital, and work was canceled for today."

"So why aren't you at the hospital with the workman AND Seth there?"

"I found something after they left. I wanted to show it to you." He led her around the house where the scaffolding still lay on the ground beside the back door frame of the one-story house. "Before he left, Will said they were going to install the windows and door on this side today. Look at the way the door is leaning against the house."

Cameron examined the wooden door and the area around it. "With this door here, how could the scaffold fall?"

"Exactly. It would have to be help."

"So it wasn't an accident." She stood back and looked at the scene. "Someone had to have pushed it over."

House nodded as Chief Anderson drove up.

"You called the police chief? Aren't you going to investigate this yourself?" she asked.

"Now that he's no longer looking for Seth, I thought we should keep him busy with something else."

As always, House's mind worked in mysterious ways. Cameron called to Anderson.

"What happened here?" he asked.

House repeated all he'd told Cameron. Anderson nodded his head several times.

"You two really do draw all sorts of mayhem to yourselves." He examined the scaffold and door as Cameron did. "Definitely foul play."

"Will's crew member was taken to the hospital, and I'm leaving to check on him and Seth Davis." House left Cameron with Anderson and drove off.

"I don't know whether this was directed at you two, Will or his crew member." Anderson had one of his men take some photos. "I never got the name of the victim."

"I don't know it either. Maybe House will be able to ask him if he saw the person who did this. Chief, I'll leave the rest in your hands. I have to get back to the clinic."

"Sure thing, Doc."

###

When she arrived at the clinic, Rusty still sat at Carol's desk. "Still no patients?" she asked.

"No. It's been very quiet. Why did Dr. House want you?"

"There was an accident at the construction site for our new house."

"Oh! Was anyone hurt?" The teen sat up straighter.

"Someone on Will Davis' crew. They took him to the hospital, and Dr. House is on his way there."

###

Jacobs caught House as he entered the hospital from the parking garage. "Seth is stable, but he doesn't remember anything that happened and can't describe his attacker." They walked together to the elevator. "I just picked up his tests. Traces of Ambien, which could explain his fuzzy memories."

"What about the guy they brought in from our house construction site?"

"They have him in Emergency still, but we've requested on your behalf to have him transferred to us after the preliminary work is done." She pushed the button, and the elevator doors slid open. They entered. "Will's waiting with him."

"And our other patient?"

"They're running the allergy tests right now." She grinned. "Looks like we're about to have a busy day."

When they reached the floor and got off, House headed one way and Jacobs another. She called to him. "Where are you going?"

"My office. You seem to have everything under control. Let me know if anything surprising shows up."

"You're not going to question Seth?"

"What for? If he can't remember anything..." He left it hanging.

"Do you know something we don't? I've never seen you give up like this." She stood with hands on hips.

"Who says I'm giving up?" He continued on as she watched his back.

Finally she shrugged and headed for Seth's room. Will stood at his brother's side.

"I thought you were in the ER with your crew member," she said.

"They shooed me out, so I decided I should visit Seth."

"Will's always been a thoughtful big brother. Maybe not recently so much, but I always feel better when he's around." A ghost of a smile crossed Seth's face. "You examined my wife yesterday. What did you find?"

"Most of her wounds were superficial, but there were enough that she was in pain." House's eyes rolled toward the ceiling. "Don't worry. We gave her something for the pain."

"It won't hurt the baby, will it?" Seth's pale face went two shades whiter. "The baby. It's OK, right?"

"Relax. The embryo is fine and the painkiller won't affect it's development."

Seth settled back in his hospital bed.

"Carol's pregnant?" Will grinned. "Congratulations, Seth! No wonder you needed more money."

"Yeah, well, you know how much it costs to raise a kid these days."

"Seth, my team told me you don't know who grabbed you, but do you have any idea where you were before they dumped you in that abandoned house?"

Seth shook his head. "That's where I woke up. Someone came and went a couple of times, but I never saw his face. And then he didn't come back. I managed to loosen the cloth around my mouth and started shouting. It wasn't long before Anderson showed up with two of his deputies."

"So, now what?" Will's gaze shifted to House.

"Now we find out whether Seth's abduction is connected to the scaffold accident."

"But it was an accident," Will insisted.

"Maybe," House said cryptically. "Anderson will check it out, see whether something helped that framework to collapse."

"You still think everything's connected to me."

Seth looked from one to the other. "Wait, you think Carol and I were attacked as a way to get to Will?"

"Someone wants to derail your brother's mayoralty bid."

"But why? And who?"

"Seth, there've been rumors for weeks that someone wants me to quit the election. I didn't tell you because, frankly, I didn't think it would affect you and Carol. Not many people know our relationship."

"And the accident at the site today? Who got hurt?"

"Jeff Lyndon. I don't even think you know him. He does some brick work and roofing for me when I have a big job. Otherwise, he works part time at the drug store stocking shelves." Will rubbed his jaw. "Sorry for the delay on your house, Doc."

House didn't comment. His mind was too occupied by adding these facts to everything he knew, not that he thought the fact the bricklayer worked at the drug store was relevant.

Magnani entered to check Seth again. "His vitals are good and his eyes reactive. I think you can go home, Mr. Davis."

Seth grinned. "Will, can you give me a ride?"

"Sure, right after I check on Jeff once more. I carry insurance on my guys, but I'd like to know he isn't badly injured before I leave." He turned to House. "Can Seth stay here until I'm ready?"

"I think we can arrange that." He repeated Magnani's actions. "B.p.'s a little low, don't you think, Magnani?"

"Oh, yes. Of course. He can't leave until it's a little higher."

Chuckling, Will left for the ER.

"We'll be back, probably before Will, but we have another patient who's in way more pain than you," House told Seth. He and Magnani headed to the lab where their patient was going through a second round of allergy testing.

"Anything?" House peered at the marks on the patient's back.

"Not yet. We may need a third round to pinpoint it, but it definitely seems to be a member of the cucurbiticaea family."

"Cucumber? Watermelon?"

"As I said, we're narrowing it down."

"Let me know when you decide." House was more interested in talking to Will's guy, Jeff. He left the patient to his team and made his way to the ER.

Will was gone, presumably to drive Seth home, but Jeff remained in a bay. An intern took his pulse and temp.

"How's he doing?" House asked.

"Fairly well, considering the fall he took. Only one broken bone, the tibia, and a few sprains and bruises." The intern indicated where. Jeff's eyes were closed. He'd been sedated. "We've taped his leg, Dr. House, but he'll have to stay off it for the four or five weeks so it'll take to heal."

House nodded. He wouldn't be speaking with Jeff for a while. "Let me know when he wakes up."

"Will do."

House made a note in his mind of the intern's name, Paul Winter. He'd keep an eye on him for the future, but for how he returned to his office. Almost lunchtime, but not quite. A twenty minute snooze was in order. But he didn't actually sleep. His mind still sorted through the events of the past few days.

###

Cameron didn't have time for sleep, attempted or achieved. At eleven, just as Rusty left, an influx of patients crowded her waiting room. She should have hired a temporary receptionist while Carol was out, test them out to take her place when she took her maternity leave.

"Mr. Clark, you were first." As fast as she treated each one, another took their place. She stopped once between patients to take a breath and look at her watch. It was already twelve thirty and there were still six patients waiting for her. With luck she might get lunch by three.

It wasn't as if she never missed a lunch break. Back when she worked for House, she learned to grab something when she had a chance, knowing he'd have her tending to patients through lunch and dinner, while he had a leisurely meal with Wilson. She suddenly realized the oncologist hadn't left town yet, or at least he hadn't come by to say goodbye. She took the time to call his number. He picked up on the second ring.

"Wilson, are you still in Shelby?"

"Yes. I plan to leave tomorrow morning."

"Listen, I'm swamped here at the clinic. Could you come over and play receptionist? I wouldn't ask but..."

"Of course. I heard about Carol and her husband."

At least she wouldn't have to explain that. "Yeah, and there have been more recent developments. Oh, and on your way, could you bring me a bowl of Mo's vegetable soup with some bread or crackers?"

He laughed. "Sure, Cameron. I'm at the diner right now having lunch with Jessica."

"I didn't mean to interrupt." Cameron bit her lip.

"Don't worry. She has to go in to work at the vets. I'll be right over."


	8. Chapter 8

Finally finished the next chapter. I'm doing pretty well with my NaNo story, but it's taken most of my writing time.

I'll be away for Thanksgiving week, so I don't think I'll have another chapter until early in December.

 **Chapter 8.**

Wilson, as always, was a man of his word. He walked through the door of the clinic minutes after Cameron called him. "What can I do?" His eyes scanned the front room.

"I've handwritten my notes on the patients I've seen. If you can transcribe them into their files." She pointed to the alphabetized folders lining the walls. "My handwriting isn't as atrocious as House's."

"I'm on it. If you need me to examine any of the patients...I guess I can't because I don't have a license to practice in this state." He frowned.

She placed her hand against his shoulder. "I'll let you take care of the patients who only need first aid." She returned to the waiting patients, feeling relief for the first time since the patients started to arrive. Knowing that Wilson was in the next room, taking care of paperwork she expected she'd have to do, gave her new energy to treat each patient that came through the door.

She stopped for five minutes to eat the soup Wilson brought her. That, also, helped her get through the afternoon. By five fifteen, the last patient walked out of the clinic. She collapsed in a chair, completely spent.

"Is it always so hectic in the clinic?" Wilson asked. He was still transcribing her notes.

"Not often. Rusty can tell you it was quiet all morning, and then the floodgates opened."

"Rusty's the high school kid you're mentoring?"

"One of them. He's learning fast, but could have picked up some more useful skills if he'd been here this afternoon." She shrugged. "I knew from the start he'd have to spend afternoons in school."

"I'm sure you'll find ways to teach him all sorts of things about medicine. And other things. Cameron, I think I learned a lot from you."

She smiled. "And I learned from you. Wilson, have you ever thought about teaching medicine?"

"Do you think I should be looking for another teaching hospital for my next position?" He seemed to consider it.

"It's a thought. As a matter of fact, I'm surprised Cuddy hasn't asked you to teach a course or two."

"I've given up trying to understand what that woman does or doesn't do." He finished with the last file. "Well, I guess that's it for the day. Maybe I should look for a job as a receptionist or medical assistant."

She laughed. "I think you'd best keep your day job. But thanks for the help today."

"If you need me again tomorrow, just give me a call. I'll delay leaving." He followed her out the door.

She shook her head and locked up."No, you have your own life to put together."

He drove them across the alley to the diner. It was relatively empty, but House was already sitting in the booth.

"I wondered when you two would show up."

"How did you know Wilson was helping out?" Cameron knew she hadn't called him about it.

"His car was parked by the clinic." House shrugged. "Easy to surmise why."

"So, how are all the patients?" Cameron was anxious to know how Seth was doing, and also what he'd learned from Will's crew member.

"We sent Seth home with Will. Scaffold guy finally woke up long enough to tell me he didn't know anything. He'd been able to climb the scaffold but it suddenly gave way."

Cameron frowned. "That's no help in determining who tampered with it."

House nodded. "We can only hope Anderson found something linking the accident to the perp."

Linda came by to pour there coffee. "Special tonight is meat loaf, but no hurry to order. I think it's still in the oven."

"Did Seth say anything else?" Cameron asked.

"Only that he can't remember a thing. He's glad to know that Carol and the baby are all right, though."

"Carol's pregnant?" Wilson sounded surprised.

Cameron nodded. "I confirmed it yesterday. They've been trying for a while. Too bad it happened at this time."

"But they're happy about it, right?" Wilson asked.

"Oh, yes. Guess it's their bright spot."

"Seeing Will with Seth I could tell how worried he was."

Wilson's quizzical look returned.

"They were adopted by the same couple, so they grew up together, more or less as brothers. Of course, they're ten years apart, so I guess there was little interaction between them when they were younger."

Jessica appeared and Cameron move next to House so Jessica could sit next to Wilson. House gave Cameron a 'don't-invade-my-space' look, making her laugh and edge closer still.

"Hope your house will be big enough so you can give each other lots of room." Jessica smiled at Wilson. "So how was the afternoon at the clinic?"

"It reminded me why I hated having to do clinic hours at PPTH. Cuddy was always after House to do his. Then when he left, I became the target."

"Wilson was a real trouper." Cameron reached across the table to tap his arm. "I had him doing data entry and filing all afternoon so I could focus on the patients."

Linda brought them all salads, even Jessica. "Meatloaf's ready. I can bring it out now or after you finish your salads."

"After for me," Cameron said and the others nodded their agreement.

House looked down at his. "Cucumber." That was all he said, but there was a big smile on his face.

Everyone else ignored him and ate.

"I'll be sorry to see you go tomorrow," Cameron told Wilson. "But I know you have things to do in Princeton."

Jessica was silent, and so was House.

###

After dinner, the couples went their separate ways. Cameron and House were halfway home when Cameron brought up what House said.

"What did you mean by 'cucumber'?"

"Oh, it's related to my current patient. The team is tested him for an allergy to cucumbers and related plants, but my salad reminded me that he hadn't eaten one in quite some time. No melons or zucchini either. So where did his rash come from?"

"Perhaps someone touched one of those and then touched him."

House shook his head. "Remember, though, most food allergies come from food that's ingested, and then any rash is all over the body. No, I think we're on the wrong trail."

"So what was it?"

"You're closer with the concept of contact. What it can be I have no idea, at least not at this time."

He changed the subject. "So, you gonna keep Wilson on, or did he mess up the files so much that you've decided to can him?"

"I'm hoping Carol will be back tomorrow. And Wilson, as he said, will be taking off to tie up loose ends in New Jersey." She looked straight ahead. "I'll miss him."

House didn't comment, making Cameron smile. Her phone rang as House pulled the car onto the driveway.

She looked at the caller I.D. and answered immediately. "Chief Anderson, what did you find?"

"That scaffolding was definitely tampered with. Some of it had cuts, not all the way through, but deep enough to weaken the construction." He paused as it sunk in. "Someone's after you and/or Will. I'd watch my back if I was you."

"Well, thanks for the warning." She put away her phone with a thoughtful look on her face.

"Allison? What did Anderson say?"

"The scaffolding was meddled with. He, uh, told me to watch my back."

"Can't hurt to be careful, especially when you're alone in the clinic."

"I always take precautions in the clinic." She had narcotics, among other substances that thieves might be after.

"If Carol isn't back tomorrow, I'll take Wilson's place taking her place."

"You? Acting as receptionist and file clerk?" She muffled her laughter when she realized he was serious. "What about your patient and his cucumber allergy?"

"That has to be something else. I can send the team back to the drawing board as easily from here as at the hospital."

"I won't object." She watched him from the corner of her eye.

They finally left the car and entered the house. Carol sat at the table with Mrs. McClelland. She grinned when they walked in. "I was waiting for you."

"What is it? Where's Seth?" Cameron asked.

"Oh, he's home resting. I wanted to talk to you in person and ask you to come with me to Chief Anderson." She seemed reluctant to even tell them.

"What about?" Cameron sat down.

"Seth and I each remembered something about the attack, but we don't want to get Will in trouble."

House frowned. "How can what you remember get Will in trouble?"

Carol closed her eyes and opened them again. "The man who attacked us was about Will's height."

"That let's out only sixty or seventy percent of the population," House said. "Hell, I'm the same height as Will."

"That's true, but you're not dark-complexioned. In fact, there aren't that many people in town who are."

"And the person who attacked the two of you was," House concluded.

She nodded.

Cameron thought of the few residents of Shelby who were darker than most. Carol was right. There weren't many blacks who lived in the small town and just as few Hispanics. But there were some. Which of them had an ax to grind with Will, or could be hired by someone who did? Was it someone on Will's crew?

"That narrows it down a little more." House poured himself some coffee and joined the women at the table. "It certainly doesn't implicate Will. What do we know about his competitors?"

"You mean in the construction industry?"

House nodded. "It could be a rival trying to undermine him. It could also be someone who wants that position he's running for. Someone who wants to be mayor, or just doesn't want Will to win. Combine that with the description you have, we might find the culprit."

"Anderson might find them." Cameron pressed her lips together. "Carol, call him. Now. We can discuss this but we don't have the staff to investigate the leads it opens up. And you don't have to go to his office to report it."

House seemed to be thinking about that, but she knew he wasn't ready to give up involvement in the investigation.

Mrs. McClelland patted his arm. "Dr. House, Allison is right. Leave it in the hands of the authorities."

"I'll call right away." Carol took out her phone and dialed. "Chief Anderson, this is Carol. Seth and I both remembered something else about our attacker." She listened to what he said. "Yes, he was tall, at least as tall as my husband, and behind his mask, he seemed to be darker skinned." She paused again, probably because the police chief said something. "Yes, we're being very careful. Thanks for posting a policeman at the house. I'm visiting a friend, but I'm going back there right now."

"I bet you feel better about telling him." Cameron rose as Carol did. "I expect you want another day off from work."

"What? No. I don't think I can stay home anymore. Frankly, being in the house is creepy. Seth is doing well enough to stay home without me. No, I'll be in tomorrow. Bet the filing has backed up."

"Dr. Wilson lent a hand today, so it won't be bad at all." Cameron smiled. "See you tomorrow. C'mon House, I think we've done enough damage for today."

They descended the stairs with him complaining he hadn't done any damage, and in fact, had done some good.


	9. Chapter 9

I'm home now and finally finished this next chapter. Hope you enjoy.

 **Chapter 9.**

True to her word, Carol was back at her desk when Cameron arrived at the clinic the next morning.

"You've had a couple of calls, patients setting up appointments for this afternoon."

Cameron's eyebrows rose. "Since when do patients feel they have to make appointments to see me? Usually they just drop in."

"I know." Carol nodded. "I guess that's why I mentioned it. Anyway, a Mr. Flynn will be here at one thirty and Mrs. Nathan at three."

"Do you know either of them?"

Carol shook her head. "I think Mrs. Nathan teaches biology at the high school, though."

The empty waiting room gave Cameron a chance to talk to Carol. "Did Anderson get anything out of what you and Seth remembered about the attack?"

"I haven't heard from him this morning, but it's early." She tapped her pen on the file in front of her.

"Well, if you need time to talk to him, I'll manage."

Carol shrugged. "I doubt I can help him with anything else."

Cameron sat on a corner of Carol's desk. "How was Seth this morning?"

"Ornery." She chuckled. "He's itching to go back to work, but House's team told him he needed one more day of rest."

The door opened and their first patient of the day walked in, a middle-aged man with a full head of graying hair.

"Carl, good to see you again." Cameron stood. "How's the knee?" The burly man had wrenched his knee the week before, climbing a ladder to reach something for his wife.

Cameron led him to the back and promptly examined the injured joint. "I'd say it's healing nicely."

"I wouldn't mind if you told me to rest it some more." Carl winked.

"You want an excuse to get out of doing chores?" Cameron chuckled. "Do I send a note home to your wife, or will a verbal statement do it?"

He laughed, his body shaking. "That'll work. Thanks, Doc."

"Carl, you know Carol's husband Seth, don't you?"

"Sure. Worked on a job with him about six months ago. Good guy."

"Maybe you can stop and visit him on your way home. You probably heard he'd been injured, and he's getting antsy to go back to work, but a visit from a friend might cheer him up."

"Sure. They're saying it was a home invasion. Guess Carol's OK, since she's here today." He pointed toward the waiting room.

"Yes. She was more frightened than anything."

"Don't know what this world is coming to. Seems we've had more crime in Shelby in the last couple of years than ever before."

"I've only been here a year and a half, so I don't know all of the incidents." Cameron hoped something he said would help explain the recent incidents.

"Well, 'side from the accident Seth had spraying for insects last June, there was the fire at the town hall, and soon after...or maybe it was before...can't recall just now, but that hotel guy's wife died of a sudden." His eyes narrowed and he rubbed his chin. "And after that Miz Eisner broke her shoulder – real curious that was. She fell, but there was no reason for it. Then the high school had some kind of problem. Don't rightly remember what. And then all that stuff with Phyllis Brewster and her nephew. Did he really try to poison her?"

"He gave her something so she'd appear to be senile and they'd put her in a nursing home, but she's quite fine."

Carl nodded. "There were a few more things. My wife would remember better than me."

"And all of this was in the last two years?" Cameron tried to reconcile what he told her with anything she'd heard, especially when she first arrived in Shelby. "You're right, I guess. But some of those incidents weren't crimes."

"I guess. Still, nothing like that had ever happened before."

Cameron wasn't ready to link them together. "Maybe there's a simple explanation for a few of them."

"You know, I think that's what we all like about you Doc. You put things in perspective and don't jump to conclusions about anything that happens." He grinned at her as she finished with his knee and he could roll down his pants.

She wondered what he'd think if he knew what kinds of far out speculations she and House sometimes came up with. "I'll see you again in a couple of weeks. Don't strain that knee, but also, use it as much as you want so it doesn't stiffen up."

"Will do. And I'll stop and see Seth."

Cameron saw him out and brought back her next patient, one of the Sheffield twins. The two girls couldn't look more different, one blond and the other dark. One short and chubby, the other tall and slim. This was the blond, chubby one, Angie. They were a year younger than Chrissy and Rachel, but friends of theirs.

"What can I do for you today, Angie?"

"Mom told me I'm not allowed to take diet pills, but I wish I was thinner, like Abby."

"Your sister has a different metabolism than you. More like your dad." Cameron remembered the first time she saw Ted and Marion Sheffield. She came up to his shoulder, in heels.

"Yeah, and Abby's taller, too. Guess there's no pills for that, huh?"

"Well, I think age-wise you're beyond growing taller. You're more like your mother, and she's a very pretty woman."

"Pretty and plump." Angie frowned. "I don't want people saying that about me."

"Do they?"

The teen shrugged. "Sometimes kids tease me about how short I am."

How could Cameron help this kid? "What do you say when they do?"

"I don't know what to say."

"How about 'the best things come in small packages' or 'I'm ecologically efficient'."

"What does that mean?" Her pert nose scrunched up.

"It means smaller people use less of the worlds' resources."

The beginnings of a smile appeared. "I like that. And there's nothing wrong with me?"

Cameron went through the motions of examining her, but knew there wasn't. Angie was perfectly healthy. "Keep doing what you're doing. Eat right and get some exercise. You're fine." But she had a question or two for her. "Do you know Mrs. Nathan?"

"Of course. All the kids do. She teaches bio and is the best." Angie's grin disappeared. "Is there something wrong with her?"

"No, no. I heard her name but didn't know her. Someone also mentioned that there was a problem at the high school a while ago. What happened?"

"Oh, they were renovating the gym and there was some kind of accident." Angie shook her head. "I was still in junior high, so I didn't pay much attention."

Once the teen left, Cameron took a couple of minutes to jot down some of what she'd learned from Carl and Angie. Looking at the list, she was more than convinced that some of the incidents were completely unrelated to the current vendetta against Will. But maybe there was a connection.

###

House's team began a new set of tests on their patient based on his conviction that cucumbers or any related fruits or vegetables was the culprit producing his skin rash. Yet, nothing else seemed to be either.

They found their boss, as usual, in his office leaning back in his desk chair.

"Still nothing." Jacobs' voice betrayed her frustration. "Are you absolutely certain it wasn't cucumbers? Because that family has been the only thing that produced a reaction in skin tests."

"The tests use extracts."

"Yes." She looked puzzled.

"What else is in the extracts?" House knew but wanted the team to figure it out for themselves.

Simpson shook his head. "The solvents are the same as for any other extracts, especially of foods."

"Warmer."

"House, oh mighty genius that you are, just tell us already." Magnani grimaced.

Jacobs started to smile. "No, wait. Glycerin is used to stabilize the extracts."

"Yes, for all food extracts," Simpson pointed out. "Yet his skin didn't show a sensitivity to any others."

Her smile disappeared as quickly as it came. "So what else is in cucumber extracts?"

"Folks, you're still missing the point. His rash is in only one spot, under one arm. Not in his mouth or stomach. How could a cucumber hypersensitivity lead to a skin rash?" House rolled his eyes. "And why has the rash persisted here in the hospital?"

"But..."

"But, but, but. All the buts in the world won't get you the answer."

Simpson crossed his arms. "So, what will? If you remember, you were the one to point us in the direction of cucumbers."

"Yeah, yeah." House dismissed that with a hand gesture. "What, if anything, is decreasing the size of the rash or the itching associated with it?"

"Cortisone cream reduces the itching but the rash is the same size as the first time we saw him." Simpson glanced as his teammates for agreement, and they nodded.

House made a popping sound with his mouth. "What about his other symptoms?"

"The fever's gone." Jacobs ticked them off on her fingers. "His hand goes numb less often, but still does."

"And it's the opposite hand from the arm with the rash?"

They all nodded again.

"What's he do for a living?" House prompted.

"You think it's occupational exposure to something?" Magnani seemed doubtful.

"Maybe. You didn't answer the question. Who knows?"

Simpson spoke up. "He works at one of the supermarkets in Snow Hill, unloading fruits and vegetables, stocking shelves, that sort of thing."

"Go ask him whether the fruits and vegetables are washed or unwashed when he unloads them." House waved them all off.

He wasn't certain himself whether that would get them the answers they were looking for, but it was worth asking about. People developed ailments of all kinds from the least dangerous seeming causes. With the team working on the puzzle of his patient, he could go back to the puzzle of the vendetta against Will Davis.

The attack on his step-brother wasn't the typical way of causing problems for someone. House was surprised that there hadn't been any kind of direct targeting of Will. Of course, the incident at the construction site was closer to that, but it wasn't Will who was injured, only one of his workmen.

Was someone so opposed to Will becoming mayor and a council member? House didn't know of anyone who'd come out and campaigned against him. Even those who'd attempted to be put on the ballot and failed hadn't been unhappy about it. The contractor was popular, well-respected.

Even the newspaper editor hadn't come out against Will, although he hadn't supported him, either. None of the current council members opposed him.

Was it something personal? A grudge someone had held for a while, and now that Will's name was in the spotlight because of the election, that person decided it was time to strike? So why Carol and Seth? Why not Will's wife and daughter? It didn't make sense.

House's phone rang. He didn't know the number on the caller ID, so he let it go to voice mail. More than half the time unknown people making calls didn't leave a message. But the light that came up after a minute indicated that this one did. He stared at the phone considering. It could be anyone. Finally his curiosity got the better of him and he listened to the message.

"Dr. House, you'd better find another contractor." That was all, but it was enough.

First he called Cameron to find out whether she'd gotten a similar message. "The voice seemed to be disguised. In any case, I didn't recognize it."

"Mine said that if I wanted my house finished, I shouldn't rely on Will Davis." She sounded worried, but not frantic. "I'll call Will and let him know about the calls."

"Good idea."

"Should I call Chief Anderson?" she asked.

"I'd hold off on that, unless Will thinks you should. Cameron, whoever this guy is, he's got a plan. I'm not sure what it is yet, so we have to meet each move as it comes. I just wish I could see what he has in mind so we can get a couple of steps ahead of him."

"I'll let you know what Will says. We're definitely in the mix now, though." Then she told him about the events Carl Thomson mentioned. "Some seem completely unrelated, and none are connected to the current situation, but I thought you should know about them."

"If there'd been something that would cause someone to hold a grudge against Will, it would give us a direction to look. Right now, we have nothing."

"I have to get back to my patients, but I'll try and catch Will within the next half hour."

With the call ended, he had a lot to think about. Cameron was right, most of the incidents were innocuous, just normal everyday occurrences, but there were one or two that might bear further investigation. He turned on his computer and started a search.


	10. Chapter 10

Well, I've revved things up even more in this chapter.

 **Chapter 10.**

George Flynn, Cameron's one-thirty appointment, turned out to be a middle-aged man with thinning brown hair and a matching mustache. She realized she'd seen him around town, but had never met him.

She led him to examination room and had him sit on the table. "Mr. Flynn, what seems to be the problem?"

"It's my stomach." He rubbed it to emphasize the area. "No matter what I eat, it's upset."

"Have you tried any over the counter meds?" Cameron checked his vitals.

"Yes. Tums and Alka Seltzer don't do a thing."

"Are you nauseous?"

He nodded. "Almost all of the time."

"Normally I'd refer you to a gastroenterologist, but let's try a few blood tests first. You'd have to go to Snow Hill or further for a specialist and more invasive tests." She got out the ampules and needle, he rolled up his sleeve, and she took some blood. "I'll have this analyzed in a few days. Meanwhile, stay away from alcohol, coffee and caffeinated beverages, and spicy food." She knew those were probably not the only triggers, but it was a start.

"Thanks, Doc." George stood from the table. "So no meds?"

"You can try over-the-counter Prilosec. It'll help with the nausea by preventing acid reflux." She showed him out.

She had two other patients before the high school biology teacher arrived. Mrs. Nathan had one of those plain faces that came alive when she smiled and when she spoke. Her voice held a hint of an accent that Cameron couldn't place, but it was lilting and pleasant to hear. She looked to be in her thirties.

"Mrs. Nathan, you didn't have to make an appointment here at the clinic."

"Oh, I know, Doctor. I was afraid you'd have so many patients if I just showed up when I was finished with my classes, I'd have to wait. This way, I reserved a spot in your schedule."

Cameron smiled at her. "What seems to be bothering you?"

"It's headaches. I get them all the time. At first I thought it was allergies because my nose is always stuffed up, and then I sneeze."

"Does this hurt?" Cameron pressed her fingers to the woman's nose and then her sinuses.

"Um, a little."

"I think you have a sinus infection." Cameron looked at the woman's throat and in her nose and ears. "You have all the indications. I'll give you a prescription for an antibiotic that should clear it up. If the pain persists after you've taken all the pills, give me a call."

"Thanks, Dr. Cameron." She smiled. "I was afraid it was something worse than that."

"You're a biology teacher, right?"

"Yes."

"Then you understand better than most how the human body, or any body, works. Sometimes when the sinuses fill due to allergies or a cold they can become infected. The pressure causes a headache, or sometimes an earache." She retrieved her prescription pad from under a package of sterile gauze and wrote a scrip for Mrs. Nathan.

###

That evening, as House and Cameron caught up with each other over their dinner at Mo's, Cameron brought up her new patients.

"I'm still puzzling over why they thought they needed appointments." She shrugged. "In both cases, they could have come in like any other patient."

"And you think that's suspicious?"

"Well, that and the way they each looked around the office while they were there. Most people are so anxious about what's wrong with them that they don't pay any attention to anything else." She stirred her coffee. "What were they fishing for?"

"Both of them?" He tilted his head.

She frowned. "Yes, that was the other thing. No one makes appointments at the clinic. No one. Yet I had two in one day."

He grinned. "They're worth investigating, I guess."

"Especially after those voice mail messages we got today." Her eyes narrowed. "Do you think it's all connected?"

He stared into his coffee cup and then looked up. "Did they make the appointments before or after the voice mail?"

"Before. And of course, everyone seems to think Mrs. Nathan is a great person." She shook her head. "Maybe I'm making too much of this."

"Maybe she's only a great teacher, but not trustworthy. You have good instincts about people. What did you think?"

"She was very pleasant. I liked her. But that doesn't mean she wasn't playing me."

"No one plays you."

A slight smile crossed her face before she went on. "Now, George Flynn. I couldn't get a read on him at all. He was vague in a vague sort of way."

"That vague."

She chuckled. "Absolutely. Stomach pain. Nothing specific. Slight nausea. Could have been making it up. The blood tests might show something, but if not, I'll send him to a GI doctor. If he balks at a colonoscopy, we'll know he's faking it."

"Everyone balks at a colonoscopy. How about a proctologist?"

She grinned. "No one likes to see them either, and if there's an actual problem, a GI specialist will find it."

"So what do we know about this guy?"

"Not much. I've seen him around, but know nothing about him."

"Did you ask Carol?"

She shook her head. "We were too busy and she didn't say anything when she told me about the appointment, but I'll ask her tomorrow."

House surveyed the diner. "Linda might know who he is."

Cameron nodded as she waved the waitress over. "Linda, do you know George Flynn?"

"Doesn't he work at the hotel?" She refilled their coffee cups. "I think he's a desk clerk there." She drifted off to check on other customers.

"Which brings us back to Mr. Langley." House took a couple of packets of sugar.

"The hotel owner."

"He's on our suspect list for possibly having something to do with the attacks on Will."

"Do you think he might have sent Flynn to check me out?" Cameron stiffened.

"Or the clinic. I didn't talk to Will yet about the phone calls, but for once, I think it's time to bring in the mounties."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't think Gary Anderson ever rode a horse."

"Just a manner of speech." He took out his phone and punched in the police chief's number. "Good evening, Chief. How's the search going for the perp who attacked the Davises?"

"Nada. Or rather, there are too many people it could have been."

"I've got something to add to your clues, or maybe your woes. Both Dr. Cameron and I received threatening voice mail messages today." He told the chief what the caller said. "We're taking precautions, of course, and I'll let Will know to keep an eye on the construction site."

"Tell him about my two new patients. Maybe he knows something about them."

House nodded. "Chief, what do you know about George..." He looked at Cameron, who mouthed George's last name. "George Flynn?"

"Quiet guy," the chief replied. "Works at the hotel, behind the registration desk. Nothing remarkable."

"And Mrs. Nathan, the biology teacher?"

"Why are you asking about them?" Anderson wasn't stupid.

"They both visited Cameron at the clinic today with minor ailments. Anderson, they made appointments. At the clinic. No one makes an appointment there, they just drop in."

"So you think one or both of them are involved? Lydia Nathan is a well-loved teacher who volunteers at the animal shelter. I can't see her as one of the bad guys."

"Okay, thanks, Chief. At least now you know about our phone calls."

"Doc, what was the voice like?"

"It sounded like it was disguised in some way. Couldn't even tell whether it was a woman or a man."

"Well, thanks for reporting the calls."

"Night, Chief." He pushed 'end'.

Cameron asked, "Is he taking the calls seriously?"

"I think so."

"So, now what? What can we do about them?"

"We can go home, call Will, and enjoy some time alone together."

But that wasn't to be, not for a while, because Wilson walked in with Jessica.

"We were hoping you'd both still be here." Wilson sat next to Cameron while Jessica joined House.

"Actually, we were just leaving, but I guess now we can't." House glared at his friend.

"I wanted to say good-bye. I'll leave in the morning."

"We enjoyed having you here," Cameron said.

House's glare shifted to her. "Speak for yourself."

Wilson laughed. "I'll miss you, too. I'm looking into a few openings in different parts of the country."

"Let us know where you end up." Cameron smirked at House. "Maybe we'll pay you a visit."

"Jim, tell them." Jessica smiled at him.

"I've resigned from my position at PPTH."

"Isn't that a little premature?" House couldn't help asking.

"Whatever happens, I can't work there anymore. You've both shown me that there's life elsewhere, that I can find another place to practice where the atmosphere is pleasant, the people are friendly and welcoming."

House and Cameron exchanged a glance. And House said, "Don't want to burst your bubble, but Shelby isn't all butterflies and moonbeams."

"I know. That whole affair with Ian and Mary showed me that there could be crime, even here. But the overall environment of the place is...comforting." Wilson looked at the alarmed expression on House's face. "No, maybe that's not the right word, certainly not for you, but I guess I mean..."

Cameron patted his hand and chuckled. "I think you can leave it with you like it here."

He nodded. "Yes. I do. Not just because the two of you live here, or Jessica, either."

House scrunched up his face. "So does that mean you'll be visiting frequently?"

Wilson laughed. "Sorry, you're not completely rid of me. And you'll have to let me know the final diagnosis on the Davis front."

Jessica winked. "James has caught the bug. He's almost as interested in your puzzles as your patients."

But House and Cameron refrained from telling them about the latest developments.

"Once you're settled, let us know how to reach you and we will," Cameron promised.

Linda came to take their order. Once she wrote it down, her gaze shifted to House. "I thought of something else about Flynn. At one time he was under suspicion for killing his boss' wife, but he was cleared."

"Wasn't that one of the incidents your morning patient mentioned?" House asked Cameron.

She nodded. "She died within the last couple of years, but he didn't say it was suspicious. Linda, what do you know about Mrs. Langley's death?"

Linda shrugged. "It was all very hush hush, but some said it was because she was an alcoholic and drank herself to death. It happened a few months before you arrived, Dr. Cameron."

"Thanks, Linda." Cameron watched the waitress go off to put in Wilson and Jessica's orders, then faced their two quizzical faces. She had to say something. "One of my patients listed all the things he could think of that had happened in the town over the last couple of years. The list wasn't long. One was the death of the hotel owner's wife."

"Who's Flynn?" Jessica asked.

"He's the desk clerk at the hotel." Cameron left it at that.

"There's something you're not telling us." Wilson looked from Cameron to House, then sighed. "And you're not about to tell us. It's not the first time."

"Wilson, if you or Jessica could help in any way, you know we'd ask."

"Cameron, you might. I don't know about my sometime best friend." Wilson couldn't glare the way Wilson did, but he tried.

"And on that note, we really must go." House tried to rise, but with Jessica next to him, he couldn't exit the booth. She got out, and so did he.

Wilson let Cameron out as well. "Take care of him."

"House will take care of himself, but I'll keep an eye on him, try to keep him in line." She was laughing as she slipped her arm through House's and the left the diner.

They drove home deep in thought. Cameron finally spoke as House pulled the car into the driveway. "Maybe I should pay a visit to the hotel sometime tomorrow."

"I'll come home early so we can do it together."

"Are you afraid something might happen to me without you there?"

"I'd like to meet this Flynn guy." He opened the back door. The kitchen was dark. "Either Mrs. McClelland is out somewhere or she headed up to her bedroom early."

But when they reached their room, they found it in shambles.


	11. Chapter 11

I was certain I posted Chapter 11 last week, so lucky you, this week you'll get TWO chapters, one tonight and the other on New Year's Eve. With best wishes for a Happy New Year.

 **Chapter 11.**

Who'd gotten into the house and their apartment and how? Were they looking for something or only trying to make a mess?

"I have a bad feeling about this." Cameron's face clouded over. She ran up the stairs, shouting their landlady's name. There was no answer. She pulled out her phone and called her. The call went to voice mail. She shook her head, unable to speak.

House pulled her into his arms. "Maybe she went to a movie and turned her phone off."

"She never goes to the movies at night during the week." Cameron looked for a number for Edna's son and called it. "Duncan, have you spoken to your mother this evening?"

"Dr. Cameron? No, I haven't spoken to her since we left yesterday for Baltimore." His voice took on a more concerned note. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, no. I tried to get her before and she didn't answer her phone. She probably has it off for some reason." Cameron didn't want to panic him.

He wasn't easily fooled. "Allison, you wouldn't call if you believed that. I can leave my fiancee here and be back there in a few hours. Have you called Chief Anderson?"

"It's too soon. He won't do anything until she's missing for forty-eight hours. If she's even missing" She looked at House through the tears welling in her eyes. "Call us when you're fifteen minutes away. We'll check the most likely places. If we find her, we'll call you." She ended the call.

Before she could do anything else, House moved to her and put his arms around her waist. "Let's blow this Popsicle stand."

"Where should we try first?" Cameron sniffed back her tears. "She wasn't at the diner, not that it's her usual eatery, but maybe she's visiting Anna or Phyllis."

"I don't want to alarm them."

"So, we drop in for a visit ourselves. It shouldn't be hard to find out whether she's there or has been without tipping our real reason."

"True."

They drove to Phyllis' house. The lights were on downstairs, a good sign that she was still awake. Cameron rang the bell.

Iris answered, opening the door wide when she saw them. "Hi, it's good to see you both. C'mon in. Aunt Phyllis is telling Bridget some stories about her childhood."

"We didn't want to intrude, but it's been a few days since we've seen you and wanted to check in on your aunt." Cameron could tell right away that Edna McClelland wasn't there.

"Iris, who is it?" Phyllis called from the living room.

"It's Allison and Dr. House."

"Oh, how wonderful. Please ask them to join us."

House and Cameron followed Iris into the living room, full of flower-patterned chairs. Bridget sat on one and Phyllis on a red, blue and green striped couch. A coffee table between them held a tray with a teapot, cups and pastries and fruit.

"Come sit with us. I've been filling Bridget in on our family history in this part of the state." Phyllis smiled at her great niece.

Bridget nodded. "I had no idea the family had been here for so long! Aunt Phyllis has such wonderful stories. I think I'll record them, perhaps help her write her memoir."

"That's a great idea, and a good sign her memory is sharper than ever." Cameron perched on one of the chairs while House joined Phyllis on the couch, closer to the coffee table.

"Did either of you want some tea? I can bring more cups," Iris said.

"No thanks. We can't stay long." House took a chocolate covered pastry.

Cameron smirked at him. "Phyllis, what about more recent events? Someone told me today that Harold Langley's wife died suddenly a couple of years ago."

"Oh, dear. What a sad story. She was a lovely woman, active in all sorts of civic events. She used to organize a book sale at the library twice a year as well as the bake sale at the Fourth of July celebrations. But about a year before she died, she seemed to lose interest in all of her activities."

Phyllis paused as if she were thinking back to arrange events in her mind. "Rumors spread that she was drinking heavily, but no one knew what prompted that. Then suddenly she died. At first they said she'd been killed, possibly by someone who worked at the hotel, but then no one was arrested. Everyone attributed her death to her drinking." She shook her head. "Poor woman."

"I remember her," Iris said.

House and Cameron stayed a few more minutes but then said they had to get home since the next day was a work day.

"Please come by again soon, or visit the shop," Phyllis insisted as they stood to leave.

The walked out to the car. "Guess we try Anna's next." Cameron was becoming more and more alarmed.

"Edna might be back at the house now."

Cameron hoped so. Before they drove off, she tried her number again, but she still didn't answer.

They drove the short distance to Anna Eisen's. Mrs. McClelland's car wasn't in the driveway or parked along the curb.

As she led the way down the walk, Cameron said, "Anna's sharp. We won't be able to hide anything from her."

"Maybe it would be better if we're truthful. She might know something about where Edna went." He pushed the buzzer.

Anna answered almost immediately. "Allison, House, to what do I owe an evening visit?"

"We're looking for Edna." House pushed his way inside. The two women were right behind. "I suppose she's not here."

"No. Why would she be?" The older woman's eyes examined their faces. "If you're worried about her, this must be serious."

Cameron sighed. "Our apartment was trashed, she's no where to be found, and she's not answering her phone."

"And?" Anna's eyebrows rose.

"We each got a threatening call this morning." Cameron decided to tell her everything. "You've heard about Carol and Seth's attack, and maybe about the accident out at the construction site?"

Anna nodded. "And you think everything's connected."

"Yes."

"Have you visited Phyllis?" she asked.

"We just came from there."

"I've heard that someone is gunning for Will Davis. Maybe not literally, but I suppose this is connected to that too."

Cameron nodded. "Anna, Owen Marshall confirmed the rumor. We've been wondering who it is. What do you know about George Flynn?"

"You think George Flynn is behind everything?"

"Not George. His boss."

"Langley." She nodded. "That's possible."

"Do you know why the investigation of his wife's death was dropped?" Cameron asked.

Anna hesitated. "Vicky Langley had become an alcoholic, but her death couldn't have been related to her drinking. Yet they attributed it to that."

"Well, thanks, Anna. Do you have any suggestions about where else to look for Mrs. M?"

"I'm afraid not. She usually doesn't go out in the evenings, mainly because her night vision is so poor." Anna's expression and slumped shoulders matched Cameron's.

"I guess we'll go on home and wait for her." Cameron turned to leave.

"Please let me know if you see her, or hear anything."

"We will," Cameron said over her shoulder. "Thanks again."

"There's nothing to thank me for." She stood at the partially open door, watching them go back to the car, then closed and locked it.

House and Cameron drove home in silence, Cameron lost in her thoughts and House unsure what to say. The house was still dark, no sign of Mrs. McClelland's car or her.

They entered and turned on the kitchen light, a country-style chandelier over the table. Cameron's phone rang and she tensed, then answered. "Hello?"

"If you want to see your friend again, you'll stop construction on that house of yours." As before the voice was obviously disguised. Cameron had put her phone on speaker as soon as he, or she, started.

"Why are you doing this?" Cameron asked.

"And you can withdraw from the council election while you're at it."

"What did I ever do to you?"

"It's not you, darlin'. This whole election is a farce. Neither you nor that black friend of yours belong on the council."

"Keep him talking," House mouthed, and she nodded.

She tried to think of what to say next. "Have you harmed Edna?"

"Of course not," the voice said. "At least not yet. Now, if you don't do what I said, well, who knows what'll happen to her."

"So, tell me again what you want me to do."

"Stop construction and quit the race. That's all, darlin'. Now how hard is that?"

"And you'll release Edna if I comply?" She put all of her anxiety into it.

The reply didn't come right away. "Sure. She'll be home by this time tomorrow night." Then the line went dead. Silence from the other end.

House smiled wryly. "I got him."

"What did you do?"

"I recorded his demands. If Anderson doesn't have the equipment to undisguise his voice, the cops in Snow Hill will." He frowned. "Of course, it would have helped if we could trace the call, but you can't have everything."

"Is there such a word is undisguise?"

"There is now." He took out his phone.

"As much as I'm worried about Edna, it's a little late to be making phone calls."

"Not when our landlady's life is on the line." He punched in a number. "Chief, there's been a new development, or two. Maybe three." House told him about Mrs. McClelland's disappearance, their ransacked apartment, and the phone calls. "I can play you the latest call. Maybe you can find out who it is."

"I'll need equipment I don't have if the voice is disguised, but I can make a stab at it and then call in a favor from the chief in Snow Hill."

"Thanks." House played the recording of the call.

"It's good you got him to say so much."

"You don't think it's a woman?"

"I guess it could be. We'll work on this and let you know if we come up with anything."

"Thanks, Chief." When he ended the call, House looked at Cameron. Her face was drained of any color.

"I don't think I can sleep knowing that she's in danger because of us." She looked at her watch. "And we still haven't heard from Duncan."

"He probably hit traffic." House's mouth worked as if he was chewing on something. "I think Edna keeps cards here somewhere." He went to the drawers and opened them, one after the other. Finally, he pulled out a deck. "We can play a few games of something."

Cameron shook her head. "I'm not sure I can concentrate enough." She stood and walked around the kitchen, then paced in front of the counter. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happens to her."

House dealt a hand of solitaire. "Blaming yourself won't help. Tell me more about Flynn."

"There's not much to tell. He has the kind of face that you forget immediately, although I knew I'd seen him before."

"Okay, what do we know about Langley, other than the fact that his wife died and the cause was hushed up?" House sneered when his solitaire hand didn't play out, and stacked the cards on the table.

"I thought he and Owen Marshall were friends, but it seems that friendship has cooled."

House focused on Cameron. "I'm surprised he hasn't tried for a seat on the town council."

"Yes, so am I."

"Why would he be opposed to Will becoming council president, or even you joining the council?"

"My impression is that he holds some kind of grudge against Will, that this has nothing at all to do with the council."

"You may be right."

"Still, to have Flynn or someone else grab Edna – that's completely unnecessary."

"You sound angry," Cameron said.

"I am. She's a kind, sweet woman and no one should treat her that way."

Cameron stood. "Let's go to the hotel."


	12. Chapter 12

I intended to post this last night, and have no excuse since we stayed home. Anyway, here is the promised chapter.

 **Chapter 12.**

House was puzzled by Cameron's suggestion. "Huh?"

"You heard me. I want to go to the hotel and confront Langley."

He shrugged. "It's better than sitting around here waiting for still another shoe to hit the floor."

They locked the door behind them and got into the car. The drive to the hotel was spent discussing how best to approach Langley. But when they arrived, the night desk clerk told House that neither the hotel owner nor Flynn was there. House returned to the corner where Cameron waited.

"Do you know where either of them live?" Cameron didn't, but hoped House had a way to know.

"No, but we can find out." House did a search on his phone, finding that the hotel was listed as the owner's address. Nothing for Flynn.

He stormed back to the clerk. "Which room is Harold Langley's?"

"I can't give out that information." The clerk was obviously intimidated by House but stood his ground.

House and Cameron withdrew to the still open lounge. "We can call him and find out which room the call goes to," she suggested.

"I have a better idea. We can have a package delivered for him. The clerk will either put it into a mail slot or have it brought up to him. Either way, we'll learn which room he's in."

She nodded. "Do it."

Once he ordered a gift box of men's toiletries from the all-night drugstore, they waited for the delivery. The box arrived and the desk clerk instructed the delivery man where to take it. House and Cameron stayed out of sight from the clerk as they followed the box onto the elevator, smiled pleasantly at the delivery man and watched him press number seven.

"That's where we're going." Cameron smiled again.

He allowed them to get off first, but with the pretext of looking for their keycard in Cameron's purse they remained near the elevator as he strode to the left. Following not far behind, House and Cameron walked past and around a corner when the man stopped at room seven twenty. They peeked as they waited for him to deliver the toiletries and return to the elevator. After he'd entered the car again, they retraced their steps and knocked on the door of Langley's room.

Langley opened the door part way to ask what they wanted, but House pushed it all the way in.

"We came to talk to you about a number of things, most importantly, the whereabouts of Edna McClelland." House strode into the hotel room. It was more of a suite, with separate living room space and bedroom. A utility kitchen took up one corner of the living room. House looked around. "It appears she's not here."

"Why would I know where she is?" Langley's sneer and raised eyebrow said he wasn't about to admit anything.

"What do you have against Will Davis?" Cameron asked, not really changing the subject. "And us?"

"I barely know you, and Davis is none of my concern. Really, whatever you've heard, you should get your facts straight."

"And what facts are those?" House sauntered around the room, picking up a knickknack here, another there, and looking at the bottoms.

"I have no interest in Will Davis or the two of you. If someone is threatening any of you, it isn't me. As far as I know, Mrs. McClelland is a lovely woman but our paths haven't ever crossed."

"Mr. Langley, what's the real story behind your wife's death?" Cameron continued to bring up assorted aspects of what they'd heard.

Langley's face went from annoyed to angry. "Get out, or I shall have to call hotel security. Get out now."

They started to leave, but Cameron had one more question. "What kind of employee is George Flynn?"

"George?" Langley shrugged. "Why're you asking about him? He's the daytime desk clerk. Does his job and goes home."

"Where does he live?" House asked.

The angry face was back. "I can't give out that information, just as you can't disclose patient information."

"It's not the same thing."

Cameron pulled at House's sleeve. "Let's go. We don't need to get the address from him."

As they waited for the elevator, Cameron reminded House, "Flynn came into the clinic today. His data is on the intake form. We can go back to my office and get it."

But before they reached the car, each of their phones rang. The name on the caller ID on Cameron's was Anna. "I hope you called because you've heard from Edna."

"No, I'm sorry. I called because I hoped you had more news." Anna sounded disappointed.

Cameron hesitated mentioning the call threatening her landlady. "We're still trying to find her."

Her call ended before House's, but she couldn't guess who he was talking to from the monosyllabic responses he made.

Finally, he put his phone away. "That was Anderson. He revealed that Mrs. Langley fell from a hotel balcony around the same time Will was repairing some hotel rooms. At first they thought Flynn pushed her, but he was cleared of any charges. They never thought Will was at fault."

"But Langley did."

House nodded.

"Could they be holding Edna here in the hotel?" Cameron looked back down the hallway.

"It's possible, but we can't check out every room. There has to be another way."

Her phone rang again. "Hello, Duncan. Are you in Shelby yet?"

"I'll be there in in ten minutes."

"Come to the hotel on the town square," Cameron said.

House watched her finish her call. "Guess we're not leaving."

"If we go to Flynn's place and he's not there, it'll mean he's guarding her, and where else but here?"

"I have an idea. Go back to the night desk clerk, ask whether he's seen Flynn. I'll stay out of the way. You can say your tests show that he has a condition that requires immediate attention."

She nodded. When they got off the elevator, she approached the front desk and House stepped around a corner. "I'm looking for George Flynn. I thought he'd be working the desk this evening."

"He's the daytime clerk. Perhaps I can help you."

"It's a medical matter." She lowered her voice, as if she was sharing confidential information. "I guess I can tell you that George came to the clinic today with some stomach distress. I've run some tests for him, and unfortunately, well, I can't really say more, but he does need immediate treatment." The serious look on her face should convince him to divulge Flynn's location.

"Well, I'm not supposed to say, but he stayed at the hotel tonight." He looked past her to be sure no one could hear. "He's in room seven sixteen."

Could it be that they'd been so close to Edna when they visited Langley? "Thank you. You have no idea how important this is." She walked toward the elevators but detoured to where House waited. "Flynn's in seven sixteen. We can wait for Duncan and all go up together."

"You think we need reinforcements if we're going to storm the room?"

"I think we'll knock on the door, and with three of us, there's no chance Flynn will get away." As she said it, Duncan came through the doors.

Cameron motioned him over, peeking to see whether the desk clerk noticed him. "We think someone is holding your mother in room seven sixteen."

Celia was behind Duncan.

They eased over to the elevators, doing their best to stay out of sight from the desk clerk. The elevator whisked them up to the seventh floor and once more they strode down the hall, stopping this time at room seven sixteen.

"I hear voices inside, and neither is a woman's voice."

"Maybe Langley is in there too now."

"Whose Langley?" Duncan answered himself. "Oh, yeah. He owns this joint, doesn't he?"

"Yes. House and I spoke with him earlier, but he denied knowing where your mother might be."

"Why would he want to kidnap Duncan's mother?" Celia shook her head. "What's going on this time?" She and Duncan had helped a little with their previous escapades.

"We'll explain later. Right now, let's see what Flynn has to say." Cameron rapped on the door twice.

"Who is it?" The voice coming from the other side was deep. Could it be the same voice as on the phone?

"Mr. Flynn, it's Dr. Cameron. I got some results for you and didn't want to wait. You have to begin treatment immediately." Out of the corner of her eye she saw Duncan and Celia's puzzled looks.

George Flynn opened the door a crack and the others pressed back against the wall so he couldn't see them. "Dr. Cameron. I didn't expect you. How did you find me?"

"The night clerk was kind enough to send me up, since it was such a serious matter. I didn't tell him any specifics, of course."

A voice came from beyond Flynn, recognizable as Langley muttering, "He's fired."

"May I come in?" Cameron asked.

Flynn looked over his shoulder, then opened the door wider.

Cameron stepped inside a room that was the mirror image of Langley's. No one else was in sight. Before Flynn could close the door, though, House, Duncan and Celia joined them.

"What's this?" Flynn stepped back in alarm, and Langley appeared from the bedroom.

House smiled at the hotel owner. He shifted position so he could look into the other room. The bed was disheveled, but no one else was in the apartment. House grabbed Langley's arm. "Suppose you take us back to your place so we can look in the bedroom there."

"I assure you, doctor, my apartment is completely empty."

All six of them walked down the hallway to seven twenty and Langley used his key card to open the door. The living room was as they last saw it. House went directly to the bedroom and pushed the door open. As Langley said, empty.

"What about the room between yours and Flynn's?" Cameron approached the connecting door.

Langley stiffened. "What about it?"

House rolled his eyes. "Cameron, open it."

"It has a keypad." She turned to Flynn rather than Langley. "What's the code?"

He glanced at his boss, compressed his lips, then looked at her. "I don't know."

She shook her head. "Sure you do."

Duncan pushed him toward the door. "Open the door. Now."

Flynn took a deep breath and let it out. He punched in four numbers, then pulled down on the handle.

Another identical room, down to the pictures on the walls and the curtains on the windows. Duncan and House dashed to the bedroom with Cameron and Celia not far behind. On the bed, fully clothed, Edna McClelland slept. Or perhaps she was drugged. Either way, they'd found her.

Duncan went to her side and took her hand. "Mom. Mother, please wake up. We're going to take you home."

It took a while for them to rouse her, but finally she opened her eyes and looked around. "Where am I?"

"Harold Langley and George Flynn kidnapped you and brought you to the hotel." Cameron kept it simple. They could tell her more later when she was fully aware, and ask their own questions.

"Why?"

"Near as we can understand, he has a grudge against Will, and that's now extended to House and me." Cameron helped her sit up with help from Duncan.

"He always was a strange one, Harold Langley. But after his wife died..."

"Yes, we know about that. Swing your legs over the edge, but don't stand just yet," Cameron said.

House looked back to the door. "No one's watching Langley and Flynn."

"Where are they going to go? We caught them red-handed." Duncan sat next to his mother. "Although maybe you should call the police chief."

House nodded and took out his phone.

"I'm going to call Anna. She's worried about you," Cameron told Edna.

Celia took her place next to her future mother-in-law while Cameron made the call.

"Anderson will be at the hotel in a matter of minutes to collect the perps," House announced.

"I have several questions for them, but they can wait until tomorrow." Cameron turned to Edna. "Anna says she's so glad your safe. She'll stop by in the morning, but not too early. Let's get you home. Stand slowly."

With Duncan's hands gripping her shoulders, Edna stood. She seemed a bit unsteady, so Celia took her hand.

They all left the room. Langley and Flynn had fled the living room, but Anderson would find them.

Duncan took his mother home in his car, with House and Cameron following in theirs, hoping this was the end of the incidents meant to harm Will.


	13. Chapter 13

And so the story continues. Is the puzzle completely solved?

 **Chapter 13.**

House and Cameron helped Duncan and Celia settle Mrs. McClelland in her room. Leaving Duncan sitting at his mother's side, House, Cameron and Celia went down to the kitchen to make phone calls and tea. The doctors were still on their phones when Celia brought a tray up to her future mother-in-law.

"We found her at the hotel, a bit frightened, but none the worse for wear," House told Will. "It looks like your problems and ours are solved. It was Langley all the time, with a little help from his friend George Flynn."

Meanwhile, Cameron explained what happened to Wilson. "We didn't want to worry you with the seriousness of the situation, but now that it's all over, I wanted to let you know that all is back to normal in Shelby. Remember to let us know where you land. Maybe we'll even come for a visit."

Celia returned with the tray as they ended their calls. "Edna's asleep. Duncan will sit there for a short while, but it's probably best to wait until morning to find out what she can tell us. Thanks for finding her, and for letting Duncan know the situation."

Cameron nodded. "We initially thought we'd keep him out of it, but I guess it was best for him to be aware of what was happening."

"He never would have forgiven himself if he hadn't helped you rescue her."

Cameron shook her head. "He wouldn't have forgiven us if we didn't figure out what happened to her."

"I'm going to bed, unless there's something I can get for you." Celia looked from House to Cameron.

"We should go down to our room, too. Thanks, Celia. See you in the morning." When she was gone and House and Cameron headed down the stairs to their apartment, she said, "The more I see of Celia, the more I like her."

"She certainly did her part this evening."

"I'm glad Edna's home, safe and unharmed." She tossed her purse on the counter. "And that we've solved another puzzle." But House was silent. "Don't you think this is over now that Langley's in custody?"

"I hope so." He shrugged. "It would be nice to have a few quiet weeks for a change."

"Do you really think that will happen?"

House chuckled. "Wilson is so convinced that life in a small town is calmer."

"It may be friendlier, but never quieter."

"And our patients are the least of our worries." He plopped down on the couch.

"I guess the biology teacher was telling the truth about what was bothering her." She thought about that a minute. "It still doesn't explain why she felt she had to make an appointment."

"What do you plan to do if Flynn's tests show there's something wrong with him, too?" House wondered aloud.

"I suppose he's still entitled to some medical treatment."

"I suppose."

They let the matter drop as they became entangled in more intimate discussions. And in clothes that had to come off. And in sheets once they'd opened the couch. And tongues as they tasted each other.

Lips met. And hands. And skin. And minds and hearts. The need, the desire was too great to deny. As they joined together, their passion rose. Two bodies became one, writhing across the bed. Tangling the sheets even more.

"Oh, House," she cried, as he murmured, "Cameron." A long intake of breath and a slow exhale as they both shuddered.

They collapsed on the bed, completely spent.

Cameron spoke first. "Guess it's true. When something emotional happens, bad or good, we release our over-excitement with sex."

"Maybe we should become over-excited more often." He wiggled his eyebrows.

"Even more than we have been?" She chuckled. And then she turned over and fell asleep.

He lay awake, reviewing the evening's events in his mind, and then he joined her in slumber.

###

When Cameron woke, her first thought was that she should check on Mrs. McClelland. House seemed to be asleep, so she slipped out of bed quietly, but a hand snaked out to grab her arm.

"Where are you going?" His mumble had her lean back over him to kiss his stubbled cheek.

"I plan to get dressed and go up to see Edna."

"Not without me." He moved quickly for a man who'd been sleeping barely a minute before and had a bum leg on tap of it.

"Let's keep the questions to a minimum." She gathered the clothing she wanted to wear. "She'll tell us what she wants to, and it should be enough to satisfy us until she's back to herself."

He pfffd. "If I know Edna, she's up there cooking breakfast for everyone, and you know Edna's breakfasts."

"You're probably right, but she's been through a lot."

"All the more reason to ask her about it while it's still fresh in her mind." He touched her still bare shoulder. "Shall we shower together?"

"Only if you scrub my back."

He grinned. "I'd be delighted."

Showered, with some hugs, kisses and other things thrown in, they dressed and raced up the stairs. House had been right. Edna stood by the stove, scrambling eggs and frying bacon. She turned to them. "Oh, good. You're just in time. Duncan and Celia aren't down yet, but I've got a decent fry-up going here." She grinned as if she hadn't a care in the world, as if she hadn't been abducted the day before and held against her will as a way to get to them, and through them to Will Davis.

"How are you feeling?" Cameron's voice still held concern.

"None the worse for wear, as they say. Now, sit you down and I'll have breakfast on the table in no time."

Before she sat, Cameron poured coffee for House and herself. She wanted to start the discussion so House wouldn't be too abrupt. But he beat her to it.

"Did you know who held you and where?" He added sugar and a bit of milk to his coffee, stirring counterclockwise.

"I could tell I was at the hotel, but I didn't suspect Harold Langley was behind it all. I wondered over and over, 'Why me? Why would anyone kidnap me?'."

Duncan entered the room. "Seems to happen to people who are close to House and Allison. First their friend, that doctor from New Jersey, and now you, Mother." He placed a hand on her shoulder and studied her face. "Are you quite alright?"

"Do you really think this is our fault?" Cameron asked the young man.

"Oh, you misunderstood me." He shook his head. "You've been the ones to find and rescue them."

Celia joined them. She smiled when she caught sight of Edna at the stove, and likely not because she was hungry.

The older woman filled platters with eggs, tomatoes and bacon, and piled toast on a plate. "Help yourselves, everyone. I can make more if need be."

Cameron took out the butter and jam, and everyone sat down to breakfast.

"Do you know what Langley has against Will?" Duncan asked.

"We think it has something to do with his wife's death."

"Vicky Langley? She died from a fall off one of the hotel balconies. Some say it was due to her drinking."

Cameron shook her head. "Langley may have blamed Will because he was doing renovations at the hotel at the time."

"But not on the balconies. I remember. Vicky planned a meeting at the hotel for the women working on the new gazebo, but because Will's crew were working on the brick facade of the hotel, we moved the meeting to town hall. Vicky never showed up." Edna looked into her teacup. "Later we heard why not."

"Then why does Langley hold Will responsible for her death? And why did he wait this long to take revenge?"

"I think I know the answer to the second question." Cameron set her lips into a line. "He's been seething all this time, but it wasn't until Will began he run for town council president that Langley decided to act."

"But why bring you into it?" Edna sighed. "Of course, you're running for the council, too, but you didn't even live in Shelby when Vicky died."

"Who knows how a man like that thinks." House sneered. "He had Flynn grab you because you were on committees with Vicky. We dealt with Langley over the shootings in his restaurant. Who knows what other slights he's manufactured in his mind, people he's annoyed with or angry at."

"At least now he's been taken into custody." Duncan dropped his fork onto his empty plate. "I suppose Anderson will be questioning him today, but I wish I had a chance at it."

His mother patted his hand. "Duncan, I'm home, safe and sound. There's no need for you to retaliate."

"Actually, I think I'll wander over to the cop shop to learn what Anderson was able to get out of Langley." House levered himself up with his cane.

Celia turned a puzzled gaze on him. "Don't you have to go to the hospital?"

"Nah. They won't mind if I'm a tad late."

"Later than your usual arrival time, that is." Cameron smirked at him. "I'd better go to the clinic, but you'll let me know what he says." She stood and kissed his cheek. "Edna, is there anything I can bring you later?"

"Oh, no, dear. If I need anything, Duncan and Celia are here."

"Yes, Dr. Cameron. Please go to the clinic. My mother will be fine in our hands." He smiled at his mother. "I'm not ready to let her out of my sight."

House and Cameron left the kitchen together, but took separate cars. Cameron parked next to Carol's car in front of the clinic.

"Oh, hi, doc." Carol grinned. "Will called Seth and told him you found the perp."

"Perps. Harold Langley was behind everything, we think, and George Flynn was in it with him."

Carol shook her head. "But neither are the tall man that attacked Seth and me."

"We hadn't thought about that." Cameron pondered for a minute. "Guess that's another question to ask Langley, who he hired for that."

A patient entered, so their conversation was cut short.

Cameron spent a busy morning with one patient after the other. Finally, close to noon, she had a few minutes to call House. "What did Anderson tell you?"

"Langley's not talking, and Flynn doesn't know much." House sounded disappointed.

"Carol reminded me that the man who attacked her was tall and dark-skinned, so it couldn't have been either Langley or Flynn."

House guffawed. "That was one of the questions Anderson asked. He's pretty thorough, but, alas, Langley wouldn't divulge the identity of that man. Flynn did admit to tampering with the scaffold at the construction site."

"So that definitely ties them to the campaign against Will. Not to change the subject, but how is your patient this morning?"

"We still haven't determined what he's allergic to. However, he admits he's had rashes like this on other parts of his body at different times."

"Could it be a contact allergy to something like latex?"

"We don't use any in the hospital because it's so common for patients to react to it. We use nitrile gloves and other substitutes."

Cameron nodded. "Like I do at the clinic. But what would his arm have touched? And kept on touching?"

"Hmmm. That brings up a new train of thought. Gotta go. Need to get the team cracking on this."

"Have fun." Cameron closed the connection, hoping she'd been helpful to House and his team. With no patients waiting, she headed to the diner for lunch.

The minute she walked in, she was bombarded with questions from other customers. After a morning with patients who didn't seem to know any of the events of the night before, she wasn't prepared.

"Let the doc sit before you start in on her." Linda played defender for her, clearing the way to the booth.

But once Cameron sat, and Linda poured coffee for her, the questions resumed. "What happened to Edna McClelland?" "Is Harold Langley in jail?" "Is this related to the home invasion at Seth and Carol's?"

Cameron held up her hand. "Maybe if I tell you what happened last night and how it's connected to other incidents, I'll satisfy all of you." She went on to do just that. Everyone in the crowd smiled as they walked away, prepared to spread the word. All Cameron could do was shake her head and mutter, "Small towns."

As everyone else left her, Jessica made her way to the booth. She sat on House's usual side.

"Wilson get off alright?"

"Yes. He's on his way to New Jersey as we speak. It sounds like you and House had quite a night."

"You can say that again. But don't."

Jessica chuckled. "Is Edna really okay?"

"Yes, so okay that she insisted on making us all breakfast this morning. I don't think they planned to hurt her. They wanted to worry and upset us, get us to force Will to withdraw."

"But they did hurt Seth and Carol."

"I'm not sure Langley wanted that to happen either. They put up a fight, and the man he sent acted beyond his orders."

"And the scaffold at the construction site?"

"Flynn, the daytime desk clerk at the hotel, did that."

"Again, someone was hurt."

"True." Cameron had to admit that the vendetta against Will had injured a few people. She wondered what Langley might have had planned for Will and his family.

The two of them ordered salads, and the discussion turned to more pleasant topics.


	14. Chapter 14

The questions from the citizens of Shelby aren't over.

 **Chapter 14.**

That afternoon, Cameron received the results on the tests for Flynn. He was perfectly healthy. She attributed his acid reflux to foods he'd eaten, and wondered how the jail food would affect him.

The clinic wasn't as busy as it had been during the morning. That gave her time to think about everything that had happened. But now Anderson could deal with it.

Her last patient, an infant of five months, had an ear infection. "She might need further treatment when she's older, or her ear canals might widen enough on their own to drain properly," she told the mother. "For now, I'll give you prescriptions for ear drops and an antibiotic. She should be fine in a short time."

She couldn't believe she had finished for the day.

Carol poked her head into the exam room. "If it's okay with you, I'll be heading home."

"No problem." Cameron smiled. "I'm thinking of calling House and telling him to meet me home instead of the diner. A repeat of the lunchtime crowd bombarding me with questions would be hard to deal with, although maybe he should have his chance."

Carol chuckled. Cameron had described the scene when she returned for the afternoon. "If he arrives first, he'll ward off the brunt of it."

"He's probably there already. I don't know what I'm worrying about. Linda provided enough interference to make it less intimidating at lunchtime."

Carol pointed to her cellphone. "Call and see whether he's there."

"He'll probably complain that I didn't warn him." But she hit contacts and then his number as Carol left.

"Bet you got a taste of this at lunch," he said instead of hello.

"Linda helped me run the gauntlet to the booth. I'm afraid once I divulged some of what happened, the demand for information grew to sizable portions."

"Yes. Dinner size. I'd leave and meet you someplace else, but it's bound to be the same everywhere in Shelby." There was a clamber of voices in the background.

"There's always Snow Hill, though I doubt you'd want to drive all the way back there." Cameron made a popping noise with her mouth that she'd learned from House. "I'll be right there. Maybe we can handle this together." She gathered her things, turned off the lights, and left the clinic, locking the door behind her.

She walked to the diner, thinking about a strategy. But when she walked through the door, all was calm. She looked around and took her seat. "How'd you do it?"

"Magic." House smirked, and she rolled her eyes. "I told them you'd be making a statement after dinner."

"You didn't!"

He didn't even look sheepish. Instead, he gave her his 'gotcha' look and ducked.

Unfortunately, she didn't have anything to throw. She snarled at him through dinner, eating as slowly as she could. When she couldn't stall any longer, she put down her fork and pushed her plate away.

The customers took the cue.

"One at a time, please." She smiled at them as they formed a line snaking down the length of the diner.

"Is it true that Langley tried to kill Edna McClelland?" One of the men who'd worked on the Labor Day decorations asked.

Cameron shook her head. "He kidnapped her, or had her kidnapped, and was keeping her in a room at the hotel. She's safe at home." That turned some worried looks into smiles.

Pete was next. "Why'd he do it, Doc?"

"We don't know for certain. He has a grudge against Will Davis, but that's certainly no reason to abduct Edna." She looked past him to the waiting crowd. "If anyone has any information about Mr. Langley's motivation, please contact Chief Anderson."

A woman Cameron remembered from her visits to the clinic took Pete's place in front of her. "Dr. Cameron, I think it might have something to do with Vicky's death. He mourned her passing for months, and he's never been the same since."

"Yes, I've heard that. Tell me, Mrs. Hardy, do you know anything about what happened to Vicky Langley?"

"I only know she fell. Oh, it was terrible. Such a nice woman, too. I know she drank sometimes. They say she was drunk, and that's why she went over a railing."

"Do you believe that?" Cameron asked.

"It's not for me to say." Mrs. Hardy leaned closer and whispered in Cameron's ear. "I think he pushed her, or someone did." Her head bob up and down once. "But no one could prove anything."

Cameron wondered about that. If it was true that Langley pushed his wife over the edge of the balcony, why would he hold a grudge against Will? Why would he think her death was Will's fault? She glanced at House, hoping he heard what Mrs. Hardy said.

Mrs. Hardy made way for the next in line, the night clerk she'd talked to. He seemed more worried than everyone else. "What's going to happen with the hotel?"

"With your boss and the daytime clerk in jail, you and the other staff may have to take over."

That seemed to scare him even more. "That means lots more work for us. Maybe the hotel should close down."

"And what will happen to the guests who are staying there already or have a reservation?"

He shrugged. "We don't get that many guests. _I_ think the prices are too high for this area, but Mr. Langley thought it made the place seem more 'exclusive'." He actually used air quotes when he said exclusive.

"If there aren't too many guests, your job won't be any harder than it has been. Perhaps you can take care of the current guests and refuse to take any new reservations. Then the hotel could close in the near future, until a next owner takes over." She didn't tell him that, if he wanted a job with any later owner, he should show his loyalty to the hotel, rather than Langley, although he didn't seem to agree with the recent management of the place. "Langley does currently own the place, doesn't he?"

"Oh, yeah. And he doesn't let the staff forget it."

The conversation gave Cameron a clearer picture of the man. She still didn't like him, not after the things he'd done or had done by others. The night clerk might have more information she could use. "Is there a tall member of the staff with darker skin?"

"You mean Micky? He tends the bar during the lunch and dinner hours, and runs errands for the boss in between."

"Yes, Micky. Do you know his last name?"

The man hesitated. "Why're you asking?"

"He helped me yesterday. I wasn't sure he was an employee or not."

"That's 'cause he refuses to wear a uniform and Langley lets him get away with it."

The people in line behind him fidgeted, so Cameron finally thanked him and wished him luck.

The next person was Sharon Davis. "Allison, are you sure the police have the man who's been doing all these things? I want to be sure we're safe, and Seth and Carol, too."

"Sharon, we think he's behind everything. We can link him not only to Edna's abduction but the incident with the scaffold out at the construction site. I believe I know now who attacked Seth and Carol, and I'll let Anderson know so he can question the man." She didn't want to give her a false sense of security, though. "Until we know for certain that there isn't anyone else involved, please be careful. That goes for Will and your daughter, too."

Sharon nodded. "Thanks, Allison. You, too, Dr. House." She made way for Luther, the shipbuilder.

He held a cap in his hands, similar to one House sometimes wore. "I think I might have some information for you." He grasped the cap as if it might fly out the door if he didn't. "Didn't want to go to the police 'cause I didn't want to get anyone in trouble."

"What's the information, Luther?"

"Mr. Langley had his boat brought into my shop 'bout a month ago. He doesn't use it much, but still it seemed to have lots wrong with it. The teak racks in the cabin was all torn up, and the latches broken, like someone broke in, maybe stole something." Luther stopped. "Don't wanna get anyone in trouble."

"Did he say who might have used the boat?" she asked.

"Well, no, but Mr. Flynn came in with it and he said some kids had partied on it."

"Kids? Any specific kids?"

"No."

"Well, thanks Luther. Chief Anderson might want to have a look at it and question you."

"'fraid it's all fixed up again. The boat's out by the dock on the bay."

"Do you have a record of all you did on it?"

"Sure. I keep records on all my work."

Cameron answered the questions of all the others in line, but didn't learn anything new about Langley or Flynn. Linda came over with a piece of pie. "Figured you'd need this after all them folks questioning you."

"Thanks Linda."

"Don't I get a piece?" House whined.

"I didn't see you fieldin' any of those questions."

"I was taking notes."

Linda grinned. "What kind ya want?"

House looked over at Cameron's piece. "Gimme whatever she's having."

Meanwhile, Cameron punched in the chief's number. When he answered, she told him what they learned, especially about the hotel's employee who fit the description of the man who attacked Carol and Seth, and Langley's boat.

"I'll send a man to question the bartender. How do you think the boat fits into anything?"

"I don't know, but it was odd enough for Luther to think I should know about it."

"So folks are bombarding you, too, about what happened last night?"

Cameron smirk. "Yes. I would imagine you've had visits from many of the town's populace."

"It's been non-stop all day." He sounded even more exasperated than she was. "People coming in, phoning, texting even. Claiming to have information for us, mostly false leads. But it sounds like you've actually gotten more from those you've talked to."

"I hope it helps. There has to be at least one other person involved, maybe the bartender."

"Well, I'll call you once I've talked to Micky. What did you tell the night clerk about keeping the hotel open in the future?"

"To have the staff keep the place running as long as they had customers. They can't turn people out who are already staying there." She took out a pen and piece of paper to write something down. "I also told him to refuse any future reservations. Won't someone else will be running the place with Langley in jail? Did he say anything about selling it?"

"He said nothing about anything. Guy's like a clam. Flynn's the opposite. Let me know if you learn anything else. People talk to you."

"I will." They ended the conversation, and she jotted down something else.

"What are you writing?" House tried to read it, but despite the fact that he could read upside down almost as well as right side up, he couldn't make anything out.

"A list of people who might know something about Langley's boat and who used it."

He nodded. "Will Anderson talk to the bartender?"

"He said so. I think by this time he'll be happy to get out of the office and the barrage of those wanting to know more about Langley's arrest."

"Technically he's just being held. I think they have to go through a court proceeding to charge him."

She smiled. "Is there anything else you want to do before we go home?"

He pointed to her paper. "What about your list?"

"I'll talk to Pete again before we leave here, but the rest can wait until tomorrow." She stuffed it in her purse.

He followed her to the counter to hear what Pete had to say.

"Pete, I have a few questions for you this time."

"Sure, Doc. How can I help you?"

"Do you know Langley's boat?"

"I think so. He keeps it at the dock where I keep mine."

"Does he ever let anyone else use it? Have you seen anyone take it out?"

Pete started to shake his head, then stopped. "That feller who's at the reception desk at the hotel took 'er out a coupla weeks ago. Weren't you askin' about him before? Flynn?"


	15. Chapter 15

There are still some questions to answer...

 **Chapter 15.**

Cameron made a quick call to Anderson to update him with the information about Flynn taking Langley's boat into the bay.

"You think that's when it got trashed?" the police chief asked.

"Could be. Since he's already talking, you can ask him about it."

"Will do."

When she finally finished that call, House asked, "Now can we go home?"

"Something tells me you want to check up on our landlady."

"Among other things."

They drove home in separate cars. Most of the ground floor lights were on when they parked, and several cars lined the street.

Cameron laughed. "I guess we shouldn't be surprised that Edna's friends came by to see how she is, and get her story of what happened."

"Most of those old biddies never had anything exciting happen in their own lives. They have to live vicariously through her."

"Oh, I don't know. Phyllis is probably one of them. I wouldn't call her recent life calm and serene."

The shop owner was only one of the four women sitting at the kitchen table listening to Edna relate what she remembered of the events.

"And here come two of my saviors now!" She beamed at them.

"Why didn't you tell us why you stopped by yesterday?" Phyllis wagged a finger at them. "Not that Iris, Bridget or I could have helped."

"We didn't want to worry you unnecessarily." Cameron looked around the table. Besides Edna and Phyllis, Anna was there along with Charlotte Malley, who lived next door, and Pamela Bradford, another woman who'd had her own share of excitement in recent months.

"Well, I'm glad you were able to find her." Phyllis took a sip of tea.

"Edna, how did you feel today?" Cameron asked.

"I had a few bouts of the shivers, thinking about what could have happened. But Langley and Flynn didn't hurt me other than to drug me with something that made me sleepy." Edna shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't tell you much of what happened since I was out of it most of the time. Gary Anderson was here for a while, but I wasn't much help to him either."

"Edna, do you remember seeing anyone else?" Cameron wondered whether the bartender helped Flynn abduct her.

"No. Only those two. It was Mr. Flynn who came here and took me. I know that. He covered my mouth with something. I don't remember much after that."

"Well, we'll leave you ladies." Cameron smiled at them all. "Thanks for coming to check on Edna."

House put a hand on her shoulder. "Before we go, I have another question. Were all of you on that committee, the one about the gazebo that Vicky Langley missed?"

"I wasn't." Charlotte was the only one to shake her head.

"But you were, Edna, weren't you?" he asked.

"Well, yes. That poor woman."

House continued, "And how many of you were friends of hers?"

No one spoke until Anna said, "We all knew her, of course, but we weren't friends really."

"I was until she started drinking," Edna added.

"Did she ever talk about her relationship with her husband?" House focused on her.

No one had anything to say.

"But after her death he began to change?" That's what they'd heard, anyway.

Pamela started to say something, then seemed to think better of it.

Anna nodded. "He was never gregarious, but he withdrew. He ran the hotel and I suppose he spoke to some of the men in town."

"Yes, he and Owen were somewhat friendly, I think," Edna said.

"One last thing." House tapped his cane. "Does anyone know anything about the boat he kept at the dock?"

Phyllis looked puzzled. "I didn't even know he had a boat."

But Edna said, "I believe Vicky mentioned it once or twice, something about why he had it if he never went out in it."

"Thanks. Goodnight, all." He and Cameron descended the stairs to their place.

She tossed her purse onto the counter. "It would have been nice if one of them had known Vicky better and she'd told them more about her husband. Maybe we should talk to Owen tomorrow."

House closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "Yes, he may be the only one who knew Langley well enough."

"It all comes back to Vicky's death." Cameron removed her jacket and hung it in their minuscule closet.

"I wonder whether Langley said anything to Owen about blaming Will. Neither of us has ever been a fan of Owen's, but he would probably have reasoned with Langley."

"I expect so. If Langley ever voiced his beliefs. Let's think on this before we approach Owen."

House shrugged. "It won't be until tomorrow, anyway."

"True."

He pulled her toward him. "Enough talk about any of this. We've given Anderson enough to work with for now."

She smiled up at him. "Tomorrow, then."

###

The next morning, before they could talk to Owen, either in person or on the phone, House was called to the hospital.

"Don't they know it's too early for me?" he grumbled.

"Jacobs said your patient had taken a turn for the worst."

"Probably ate a cucumber." House rolled his eyes as he dressed.

Cameron handed him his cane. "Grab a cup of Edna's coffee on the way out."

"Maybe she has some of that coffee cake she was serving the biddies last night."

"Don't ever let any of them hear you call them that." She smirked.

As he climbed the stairs, grumbling all the way, she chuckled and started to dress. By the time she reached the kitchen, House was long gone.

"Oh, good morning, dear." Edna's eyes twinkled at her. "Can I get you some breakfast? I'm afraid Dr. House took the last piece of coffee cake, but I can cook you some eggs."

"No thanks, Edna. I'll have some of your coffee, though." She helped herself to a mugful.

"Of course. Duncan and Celia are gone already, too. Once they were assured I was quite fine, they returned to Baltimore."

"Will they be back soon?" Cameron sipped her coffee at the table.

"Possibly over the weekend. I do so enjoy having them here."

Cameron thought about how lonely she'd be once she and House moved out. "Is there any possibility that they'd live here after they marry?"

"Duncan has been exploring positions here in Shelby and in Snow Hill. And Celia was offered a job in town, but they won't be getting married for six months, so they have time to decide."

"Will you rent out our place again once we're gone?"

"I hope so. I know it's small and cramped, especially for two people, but there must be some young person who'd like it," Edna said hopefully.

"Of the places I looked at when I came to town, it was the nicest. I've loved living here and getting to know you."

Edna smiled at her. "Well, hadn't you best be going off to the clinic?"

"Yes. Who knows who'll walk through the door there." Cameron put her coffee mug in the dishwater before she headed out.

When she arrived at the clinic, Carol was rearranging some files. "I've neglected these for too long. We've managed for months without these being in any sort of order." But she stopped for a couple of minutes to ask, "Have they found the man who attacked Seth and me?"

"We got a lead on that last night and Anderson is investigating. I would imagine he'll need you and your husband to confirm that he's the one."

"Someone at the hotel?"

Cameron nodded. "Let's wait for the chief to question the man as well as Flynn about it."

"How's Edna?"

"Doing well. When we got home last night she was entertaining a group of her friends. How's Seth?"

"Still anxious to get back to work." She smiled. "Will stopped by last night and offered him a job on your construction site."

"Oh, good."

The door opened and Rusty, Cameron's high school 'intern', walked in. "Hi, Dr. Cameron."

"Hi Rusty. Looks like we don't have a patient at the moment, but there are some other things I can show you." She led him into the examination room. "Do you know how to tell the difference between a broken wrist and a sprained one?" She held out her own arm.

"I guess the kind of pain is different. But if a bone is broken, wouldn't the hand hang differently, too?"

"You're on the right track. Sometimes when a bone is broken, it's easy to tell because an end comes through the skin. But sometimes if it's just a simple fracture, the bone doesn't move out of place. In those cases, you can't tell whether a bone is broken or the wrist is only sprained. That's why we take x-rays of the arm." She explained how x-rays could show any changes in the underlying bone. But that's as far as she got, since Carol signaled that they had a patient.

Cameron grinned when she saw that it was Owen Marshall. "Just the man I wanted to see?"

"Oh? I came by to ask what was happening with Harold Langley." He glanced at the high schooler. "I thought I could have a private word if I came here."

"Rusty, why don't you go help Carol with her file rearrangements while I speak with Mr. Marshall."

The teen shrugged. "Sure, Dr. Cameron. Just call if you need me."

"I've started a program to mentor high school students who hope to go into the medical field," Cameron explained as she closed the door on Rusty. "So, what did you want to know? Because I have a few questions of my own for you."

One eyebrow went up. "I could say ladies first, but I'd like to know why Langley's in custody before I address any questions from you."

Cameron nodded, and then told Owen about Edna's kidnapping and their rescue of her. "Langley had George Flynn seize her. Honestly, it was your warning that someone was planning revenge on Will Davis combined with the attack on my assistant and her husband that caused us to investigate, but I guess Langley thought we were getting a little too close."

"So it was Langley all along." Owen stroked his chin.

"We believe so. Chief Anderson is gathering proof."

He still looked puzzled. "But was it Flynn who attacked Seth and Carol Davis? And why?"

"There's a third man who's not yet in custody. We believe we know who it is and Anderson's planning to talk to him today." Cameron frowned. "Did you know that Seth is Will's brother, or rather that they were adopted by the same family?"

"Yes, I'd forgotten that. It would explain why Seth was targeted."

Cameron decided it was time for her questions. "Mr. Marshall, did Langley ever mention anything to you about any animosity toward Will Davis?"

Owen hesitated. "You know, after Vicky died he did say something about it being Davis' fault. Of course, it couldn't be."

"But he thought so. We think that was his motivation. And he nursed that resentment all these years."

Owen pursed his lips. "That's the kind of man he is, I guess. He held a grudge against Stephen Patton for years for printing an article in the Shelby Sentinel about the food at the hotel. Then finally made up last year when Patton wrote an editorial praising the running of the hotel."

"So he and Patton are friends now?"

"I wouldn't call them friends, but they're no longer enemies."

"I wonder whether Langley ever asked Patton to print something negative about Will."

"You'd have to ask him."

Cameron nodded. "I will. So, is there anything else I can help you with?"

"No, I think you've done more than enough. Dr. Cameron, I for one will be happy to have you join us on the town council."

"Why, thank you, Mr. Marshall."

He wagged a finger. "You know you can call me Owen."

"Thank you, Owen." She saw him out and collected Rusty and her next patient on the way back to the exam room.

While she examined the young woman, explaining everything she did to Rusty, she also thought about everything Owen Marshall told her. It confirmed that Langley might have held a grudge against Will for a couple of years, but it didn't explain why he'd acted now.

She still had that list of people to contact. Owen Marshall could be crossed off. And Patton added.


	16. Chapter 16

We're traveling this week, but I do have a few minutes to post this next chapter.

 **Chapter 16.**

House's team was getting nowhere in their search for the cause of their patient's rash. The flare-up that occurred that morning threw all their theories out the window.

"We're missing something," Jacobs said as they assembled in the conference room with House.

"That's my line." But his heart wasn't in the admonition.

"That doesn't negate what I said," Jacobs shouted back. She paced the room, hands behind her back.

Magnani glared at her. "Sit down, Heather, you're making me nervous."

"I don't see you coming up with any solutions." Simpson stood so abruptly, he knocked his chair over as Jacobs passed behind him. She caught the chair, but he was mortified. "Sorry, Heather."

House watched them the way he watched a soccer match. Then he tapped his cane on the floor three times. It got their attention. "We've been too involved in this for too long. Time for a field trip." He limped to the door, certain they'd follow, and they did.

"Where are we going?" Jacobs jogged to keep up with the men.

"You'll see when we get there." House pushed the elevator button. They rode down to the garage and he led them to his car.

"House, we can't leave." Jacobs stopped in her tracks. "We have a patient."

"He's been our patient for a few days. An hour away can't hurt."

She had to speed up again since the three men continued on. "But he had a flare-up of his rash this morning."

"There are plenty of nurses and interns to monitor his condition. They'll let us know if he takes a turn for the worst." House got in and unlocked the doors so his team could take seats.

"You still haven't said where we're going or even why." Magnani clicked his seat belt.

"Did too. You all need time away so you can think about the patient from another angle. Nothing you've done so far has worked. You need a new approach." He drove out of the garage and turned left.

The team members were silent as they watched the streets of the town go by until House pulled up in front of a kids' playground in a town park. "Go, have fun, swing, slide, whatever."

They all hesitated. Simpson was the first to take House up on his demand. He started with the climbing equipment, but found he was too tall to use it. Meanwhile, Jacobs sat on one of the swings, not moving it. House came up behind her and gave it a huge push.

"House! Stop that." Her screech egged him on.

"House, let her be." Magnani took the swing next to Jacobs.

"She wasn't getting the point. You all have to let yourselves go, or else you'll never find out what's wrong with our patient."

"If you stop pushing me, I'll pump myself." Jacobs moved her legs enough for House to let go.

Simpson had moved on to the slide. It was a little tight going down, but he was grinning as he did.

House watched them be children, watched them let go. He sat on a bench like a proud parent. After forty-five minutes, he stood again. "Okay, it's time to go." He didn't ask whether they'd cleared their heads or come up with any epiphanies. He didn't have to. They'd had the break they needed. Time to get back to work.

When they reached the hospital and took the elevator up from the garage, Jacobs said, "Your little experiment didn't work."

"Did you have fun?"

"Well, yes." Jacobs smiled.

"Good."

"You know, I think I have another approach we can take with the patient." Magnani took another minute to collect his thoughts as they walked back to the conference room. "We convinced ourselves that the rash was a reaction to something he touched and is still touching here in the hospital."

"Yeah." Jacobs crossed her arms.

"What if...what if it's something he habitually touches outside as well as inside the hospital, but it's not something in his bed here." Magnani took his usual seat around the table.

"Go on." House had an idea of where he was going, but wanted him to commit to his diagnosis.

"Well, the rash seemed to be going away and then it came back, so it's not something he's always touching." Simpson turned to Magnani.

The shorter man shook his head and shrugged. "That's as far as I got."

"Did anyone visit him yesterday?" House pulled out his chair with his cane and then sat.

Jacobs nodded. "His wife." She remained standing. "But she knows that she shouldn't bring him any food."

"What did she bring?"

"Nothing." They all agreed.

"What was she wearing?"

"Um, a pair of jeans and a blouse, I think." Simpson's eyes widened. "She carried a sweater."

"Did she touch him? 

Jacobs grinned. "She kissed him. But there's no rash around his lips."

House grimaced. "I should have been more specific. Did she touch his arm?"

"She commented on how well the rash looked. I...I guess she touched the arm near it."

"So now we have to find out what she did before she arrived. Did she have her nails done? Her hair? Did she eat lunch? What did her hands contact before she visited her husband?" House emphasized each question with a tap of his cane.

"You think it's that simple?" Simpson asked.

"Well, it would have to be something she doesn't do everyday, otherwise I'd suspect dish washing liquid or body wash or something."

"So all you can think of is a trip to a salon?" Jacobs scowled. "House, women do much more than that."

"Whatever. So, contact her. Ask what she did do just before her visit to her husband." He sat back and closed his eyes to signal they were dismissed. As they trooped out, his mind drifted back to wondering about Will. Did Langley really blame him for Vicky's death? Then why did he wait so long to get his revenge? Had he harassed Will before this? No one mentioned it. What else could Langley have against Will?

Plenty of people had resented House's actions in the past, but that was because he'd provoked them. Will wasn't that kind of person. Besides, his contacts with the hotel owner had been few, at least since Vicky fell.

House wondered who was on the list Cameron made of people to talk to. Had she been able to reach any of them? Only one way to find out. He took out his phone to make a call, but the call went to voice mail. She was probably busy with a patient, or else talking to someone on her phone. He left a message for her to call him.

###

Cameron was indeed with a patient. The high school biology teacher had come to the clinic for a follow-up visit.

"How are you feeling, Mrs. Nathan?" Cameron checked her eyes and pressed on her sinuses. "Pain gone?"

"Yes it is. Thank you so much." She beamed at Cameron, that smile that turned her plain face into a pretty one. "I should have known that's what was wrong."

"Have you had sinus issues before?"

"When I was much younger." Mrs. Nathan hesitated before blurting, "I have a student I'd like you to take on as part of your mentoring program."

"Of course. Are they interested in entering the medical field?"

"Yes. She's a gifted student. Interested in everything but especially the human body. I'm afraid her family can't afford to send her to college, much less medical school, but if she could get a scholarship..."

"And having experience working in a clinic would help her do that. Yes, I understand."

"So, may I bring her in after school tomorrow?"

"Well, I already have one student who comes a couple of mornings each week. Perhaps if she comes after school or on different days it'll work out."

"That sounds good. Her name is Hannah Briggs. She a Senior and she's seventeen."

Cameron nodded. "Bring her by tomorrow and I'll talk to her, see if we can work together."

"Thank you so much Dr. Cameron." Mrs. Nathan's smile couldn't be any brighter.

After she left, Cameron decided she should ask Chrissy and Rachel about Hannah Briggs. Maybe Rusty, too. But overall she was excited about taking on another student.

She was busy the rest of the day with an assortment of patients. She finally had a chance to listen to House's message. The back of her hand went to her head, as she wondered how she could have forgotten to call the other people on her list. Before she left the clinic for the day, she started on her calls.

The first person who answered was Sal DiMonaco. "Sal, I'm looking for information about several things, including Harold Langley's boat and any grudges he might have against anyone in town."

"I didn't even know he owned a boat. As to grudges, well, who didn't he have one against?" Sal chuckled. "Even me."

"So he's a man to hold on to his resentments."

"He sure is. About the only one who hasn't felt his wrath is the daytime desk clerk at his hotel. What's his name? Oh, yeah. Flynn."

A new question occurred to Cameron. "What kind of relationship do they have? Have they known each other long?"

"Not really. Flynn's been at the hotel about three years."

"So he was there when Vicky died."

"Yeah, I guess he was." Sal paused as if he was trying to remember something. "I think he was the one to discover her body."

That didn't make sense. "But didn't she fall off a balcony outside the hotel?"

"I never thought about that, but you're right. Maybe he saw her fall through a window or something and ran out to see if she was hurt."

Cameron tried to remember the view from the registration desk. There were no windows in the line-of-sight. How could he have seen her? She had another question for Anderson to ask him.

"Well, thanks Sal. If you think of anything else, please let me know. On second thought, let's make it official. Let Chief Anderson know."

Once she was finished with Sal, she made the next call, hoping the mayor and his wife hadn't left town already.

Cosgrove answered on the second ring. "Hello, is something wrong, doctor?"

"No. I wanted to catch you before you leave town. I'd heard you'd be gone before the end of the week."

"Yes. The moving people just left with all of our furniture. I suppose we'll stay at the hotel tonight and go off in the morning." A sharp intake of breath. "I hope the hotel is still open. If not, there's always Zach's motel."

"Yes, I believe the hotel is open. In fact, that's what I called about, or rather I called about Harold Langley. I understand you own a boat. Are you taking it with you?"

"No, we sold it. I hope to buy a newer, fancier one once we get to our new digs." He paused. "What does this have to do with Langley? I hear Anderson arrested him for something or other."

"Did you know that Langley has a boat, too?"

"Yes, he docks it near mine."

She smiled. Finally someone who knew something about Langley's boat. "Did you ever see him take it into the bay?"

"Dr. Cameron, I don't know what this is all about..."

"It's about Langley having Edna McClelland kidnapped and equipment at Will Davis' work site vandalized. It's about the attack on Seth and Carol Davis. Shall I go on?"

"Langley did all of that?" Cosgrove sounded astonished.

"We believe so. That's why he was arrested. Getting back to the boat." Maybe she should have asked different questions, but she wasn't getting anywhere with the mayor. "Did you ever see anyone take it out?"

"No. No one. Listen, doctor, I'm not sure I should say, since I heard this second- or was that third-hand?"

"Mayor Cosgrove, you can't say that if you won't reveal what you heard however many hands."

He sighed. "Pamela Bradford told my wife that her daughter told her that Langley made a pass at her."


	17. Chapter 17

We're back from our trip to Arizona, and should be here for some time to come. Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it.

 **Chapter 17.**

Cameron couldn't believe what the soon-to-be ex-mayor was saying. Langley made a pass at Sharon?

Cosgrove rushed to say, "Of course, she told him she was a happily married woman, and that he should set his sights elsewhere."

"I should hope so." Cameron tried to fit this piece into the Langley-Davis puzzle. Could the hotel owner be after Will because Sharon rejected him? "Tell me, Mr. Cosgrove, did you hear anything about who he set those sights on next?"

"No, I'm afraid not." Cosgrove sounded so disappointed that he failed her.

"Well, thank you for sharing this. We all wish you and your wife a great new life in the future."

"Thank you, doctor."

Cameron quickly ended the call and started to punch in Pamela's number, but changed her mind. Why not get this confirmed first hand? She called Sharon Davis.

"Dr. Cameron, how can I help you?"

"Hi Sharon. I heard a rumor and wanted to talk to you about it." She glanced at her watch. Sharon was probably busy starting dinner for her family. Not a good time to meet, it would have to be over the phone. "I understand that Harold Langley made a pass at you a while ago and you rejected it."

Sharon laughed. "I'd forgotten all about it. It upset me when it happened. Hmmm, it was about six months after his wife died. I don't even remember why I was at the hotel. He did more than make a pass. He grabbed me and tried to kiss me, and I slapped his face. I knew the man was grieving, but it was still despicable behavior, and I told him so. That his wife had just died and that I was a married woman. That there were plenty of other women out there if he was looking for some comfort. I don't remember the exact words I used, but I was so angry."

"I think he added that incident to his grievances against your husband."

A pause. "You may be right."

"Well, thanks for sharing that with me. It couldn't have impressed you very much if you forgot the incident."

"No, it didn't. Allison, I love my husband."

"I know you do."

There was still one more name on Cameron's list. She wondered whether the newspaper owner would talk to her. Perhaps she could start by asking whether he published election advertisements and how she could place an ad.

The only number she had for him was for the newspaper office. Checking the time, she hoped he was still there. All she knew about the art of putting together a newspaper came from movies and TV, and her short stint working on her high school paper.

She tried the number. It went to voice mail, so she left a short message, asking Patton to call her when he had a chance. She didn't expect to hear back any time soon.

When she grabbed her purse and headed out, she wasn't surprised that Carol was already gone for the day. Walking across the alley to the diner, she thought about all she'd learned. It still didn't answer several nagging questions.

House had already dug into his plate of meat loaf and mashed potatoes. She knew he'd pick at the green beans on the side, but would leave most of them.

"What took you so long?" he demanded.

"I had a few calls to make, and if you're a good boy and eat your green vegetables, I'll even tell you what I found out."

"Spoilsport." He went back to scooping up potatoes.

Linda came to pour her coffee. "Same?" She pointed to House's dinner.

"You know I can't pass up Mo's green beans, and I love her meat loaf too."

House rolled his eyes.

"So what was the medical emergency with your patient?" she asked.

"His rash flared up." House took a bite of meatloaf, chewed and swallowed. "After his wife came for a visit."

"He's allergic to her?" Cameron burst into laughter.

"Not exactly. But something she did just before she visited him. Her hands picked up something." He shrugged. He'd left the hospital before the team reported back. "That was my show and tell, well tell, now it's time for yours."

She pointed at the green beans and didn't say a word.

He picked one up with a fork, put it in his mouth, chewed loudly and swallowed even louder. "Satisfied?"

She smirked at him. "That'll get you one piece of info. Hmmm, what shall it be?" She stroked her chin. "Oh, yeah, Patton and Langley had a bit of a feud that blew over about a year ago."

"So?"

"So, Patton may know something about Langley we don't. I left a message for him to call me."

"But that's the tip of the iceberg of stuff you've uncovered," he guessed.

She crossed her arms and pressed her lips together.

"You're going to play hard ball? With me? You know you'll never win."

She favored him with a broad smile. "We'll see."

Her food arrived and she stuffed her mouth. He wasn't going to get any more out of her. But he could out wait her, or so he probably thought. He finished his meat and potatoes, didn't take another bean, and pushed his plate away.

Simpson showed up alone and sat down next to his boss. "Heather and Rocco stayed overnight at the hospital. The patient's wife visited again, and they wanted to see whether he had another reaction. They also wanted to question her about where she'd been just before she came to the hospital yesterday."

"Then why did you come back to Shelby?" House asked. "You could have called."

He shrugged. "They didn't need me."

"Oh, Bart." Compassionate Cameron focused on him. "What's going on?"

The glum expression on his face told the story. "Do you have to ask?"

"But I thought..." She stopped and put a reassuring hand on his arm. "So, Rocco realized how Heather felt about him?"

"Once he got over his ex. But where does that leave me?"

"I'd never thought it would be you, but as the only sane member left on my team," House said.

"You need to find something to distract you." Cameron shook her head. "Not that I have any suggestions. It's easy for me to say, but it'll be hard for you to do."

"How about telling him what you're keeping from me?" House snarked.

Simpson looked back and forth between the two. "What's going on?"

"Cameron won't tell me what she found out today because I wasn't a good boy."

The younger man grinned. "You should know you can't win with women."

"House was spoiled in the past, but he taught me all, or maybe almost all he knows, so this is payback."

"You know he'll take it out on us," Simpson said. "What did he do wrong?"

"He didn't eat his green beans."

"I ate some."

"And I told you some of what I learned, but now we've started this, I'm going to see it through to the end." She crossed her arms and beamed at House.

He pulled her plate toward him and gobbled down her green beans as fast as he could.

She continued to smile at him, but didn't say anything until he was finished. "What a good boy. And as a reward, I'll tell you that Langley made a pass at Sharon not long after his wife died. Of course, she rebuffed him in no uncertain terms."

"And it made Langley angry. Add that to his suspicions that Will had something to do with his wife's death." House grinned.

"Also, Flynn was the one who found Vicky. Claims he saw her fall from his registration desk."

He nodded. "But there's no view of any windows from the desk."

"Exactly."

"Okay, I guess that's worth eating some veg." He pushed her plate back at her.

Simpson had been watching them and taking in what Cameron said. "How did you find out about Langley making advances toward Sharon Davis?"

"The mayor told me, and then Sharon confirmed it." Cameron shrugged. "Who knows how many other incidents added to Langley's resentments against the Davises. Sal DiMonaco also said that Langley was quick to anger and he held on to his grievances for a long time."

"Did you tell Anderson any of this?" House asked.

"Not yet. I've been waiting for him to call and tell us what happened when he confronted the bartender." She ate some of her dinner, what was left of it, while House and Simpson sifted through this new information.

House sipped his coffee. "There has to be more. Lots more. Could Langley also have some animosity against Carol and Seth or against Edna?"

"I wondered the same thing. Maybe even against me." Cameron bit her lower lip. "And remember, the phone calls indicated that the person behind all of this wanted Will and me to drop out of the race for council seats. Why would Langley do that?"

House had no answers, only more questions. "Has he ever run for the town council himself?"

"Not that I know of, but it's something to ask about."

Before they could speculate further, Cameron's phone buzzed. "Anderson," she said after looking at the caller ID. "Hello, Chief. What did you find out?" She turned on the speaker phone so House and Simpson could hear.

"The bartender wouldn't admit to anything, of course. He was even evasive about where he was at the time of any of the incidents. But, like I said, Flynn is singing his own song and it implicates Micky Carr, so we're holding him for further questioning."

"Good. Guess you'll have Carol and Seth in to see whether he's the one who attacked them."

"Yes, that's already scheduled for tomorrow morning." Anderson chuckled. "Guess Carol will be a little late getting to the clinic."

"That's alright. Chief, I learned something else today. Langley came on to Sharon Davis not long after his wife died, but she rebuffed him. You might want to ask him about that."

"You do hear the darndest things, Doctor Cameron."

It was her turn to chuckle. "Chief, do you know whether Langley ever ran for the town council?"

"I don't think so." He hesitated. "He might have thought about it, talked to friends about running, but I don't recall him actually mounting a campaign."

Cameron changed gears. "What do you know about a feud between him and Patton?"

"Guy who runs the newspaper? There's was really nothing to it, over before it really got started, but I'm seeing a pattern here. Langley has a short fuse, holds grudges, and lashes out at unexpected times."

Cameron nodded, although Anderson couldn't see her. "So it seems."

"Thanks for all the info, doctor."

"Thank you, too, for sharing so much with me."

"Micky Carr is the man who attacked Carol and Seth?" Simpson asked.

Cameron nodded. "We think so. He may also be the one who helped George Flynn kidnap Edna."

"This town gets more and more interesting." The young doctor grinned, finally distracted from his own little drama. But that only lasted long enough for Magnani and Jacobs to waltz in together and it down side-by-side next to Cameron.

House started to say something, but seemed to change his mind.

"How's the patient?" Cameron asked.

"You wouldn't believe where the wife had been before she visited him yesterday." The grin on Jacobs face telegraphed it was somewhere outrageous.


	18. Chapter 18

Posting early before we leave for a Super Bowl Party. Time for another cliffie.

 **Chapter 18.**

Cameron tried to come up with someplace House's patient's wife had been that could have triggered a renewed rash. "A pumpkin patch."

Jacobs laughed. "Not a bad guess." She looked at House and Simpson. "Any more?"

House rolled his eyes. "Obviously it's nowhere we might say, so get on with it. Where was she?"

Magnani shared a glance with Jacobs. "She went to the cranberry canning plant where her sister works."

Simpson scrunched up his face. "But he's not sensitive to cranberries."

"It's the glue they use to smack on the labels on the cans." Jacobs chuckled. "That's the part of the place where her sister works, the end of the line before the cans are loaded for shipment to the stores."

"But how did she come in contact with the glue?" Cameron asked. "And how often did this happen?"

"She visits about once a week, and sometimes helps her sister place the cans into the cartons," Magnani explained. "I guess that involves getting close enough to the glue for residues to stick to her hands."

Cameron shook her head. "Doesn't she wash the glue off before she visits her husband?"

"Apparently not."

"So I guess that means the case is solved." Simpson looked at his boss for confirmation.

House nodded slightly. "Hope you all enjoyed that one."

Linda stopped at the table to deliver Simpson's dinner and to take Jacobs and Magnani's orders. Once she was gone there was silence. Simpson periodically shoved a forkful of food into his mouth but mostly stared at Jacobs and Magnani.

Cameron couldn't stand it any longer. She told the two sharing her side of the table about the information she'd gathered.

"Wow, you've been busy too," Jacobs said. "Langley sounds like the kind of man who would not only hold a grudge forever but act on it."

"Then it's a good thing he's in jail." House watched Linda bring Jacobs' and Magnani's food. "Better eat your green beans or Cameron will take back what she already told you."

"How can she take it back? We already know." Jacobs stabbed a couple of beans with her fork. "Besides, I love Mo's green beans." She popped them in her mouth and chewed.

Magnani grinned. "Something tells me there's another story behind this."

"Simpson can tell you later." Cameron's phone rang and she smiled. "Patton's calling me back." She answered the call. "Hello, Mr. Patton. I had a question about your policy on political ads?"

"Dr. Cameron, are you considering placing one?" Patton asked.

"If it's not against your policies."

"Oh, no. We never turn down advertising dollars."

"Um, how much would it be?" She hadn't really thought about that or even what she'd say in the ad, probably the same things she'd said in the couple of campaign speeches she'd made.

He quoted the price for various size ads. "But that's not really what you called about, is it?"

"No," she had to admit. "I wanted to know why Langley and you had a feud."

"I can assure you, it was almost entirely on his side. I couldn't care less what he thought. That's why I ran a negative column on the restaurant in the hotel. I tried the place again six months after I printed it, found the food and service had improved, and wrote a more complimentary article. During that six months, Langley told everyone he could what a terrible newsman I was, that I was also a miserable person. Believe me, I didn't reverse myself because of his harassment."

"Of course not. He seems to have a habit of becoming angry with someone, or even just annoyed, sometimes for an imagined slight. He holds on to that negative feeling and even attacks some of them, either physically or verbally. Your relationship with him just proves what we've learned."

"I suppose I should be glad he never attacked me physically. OK. So did you want to place an ad?"

"Yes. How about a quarter page. I'll email you the text and illustration. What's the email address?"

He told her and ended the call.

"I forget sometimes that you're running for town council," Jacobs said. "I don't really think you need to advertise. I mean, you're bound to get a majority of the votes."

"Who else is running besides you and Mr. Davis?" Simpson asked. "You're both shoe-ins."

"There's a woman named Bender. Brenda Bender. She works in the office at the school, and I've heard the kids all like her. And then there's the baker, Oscar McMann. There may be others, but those are the two I know about."

Magnani harrumphed. "They're the ones who need to mount a big campaign so people in the town even know they're running."

Jacobs nodded. "I guess with Langley in jail, you and Will Davis won't have to worry anymore."

"We still don't know why he was so opposed to both of us, why he didn't openly say so." Cameron changed the subject by telling them about her other piece of news. "I have another high school kid to work with, recommended by the biology teacher. She starts tomorrow."

"I hope those kids know how lucky they are to be learning from you." Jacobs smiled at Cameron.

"I hope what I teach them will stay with them, especially if they go on to medical school."

Simpson looked at his unfinished food and put down his fork. "I'll see you all tomorrow." He slid out from the booth and stood. "We can start looking for a new patient in the morning."

"Bart, why are you leaving so soon?" Jacobs frowned. "I was concerned when you left the hospital so abruptly, and now you're doing the same thing here."

He shrugged. "Good night."

"What's up with him?" Magnani asked.

House and Cameron exchanged glances. It wasn't their place to say, but of course House couldn't stay silent. "He's jealous."

"Jealous?" Jacobs shook her head. "Jealous of whom? Why?"

Cameron's voice was soft. "Perhaps he feels like a fifth wheel with the four of us." She let that sink in. "And perhaps he has...feelings for you, Heather."

"Me? But we're just friends." She looked at Magnani, her forehead furrowed. "Did you know?"

"Frankly, no. I always thought he was too wrapped up in the work." He took Jacobs' hand in his. "Heather, it's not your fault."

"Of course it isn't," Cameron said. "But now that you're aware of his feelings, maybe you should treat him with kid gloves."

"Nonsense." House smirked. "Tell him as forcefully as you can that you don't feel the same way, and leave it at that."

Jacobs shook her head. "I couldn't hurt him that way."

"Because you like him pining for you?" House said in a simpering voice.

"No!" Her voice rose. "I don't want to lose his friendship."

"Jacobs, when a guy cares for a girl and she doesn't reciprocate, there's no way they can be friends."

Cameron's gaze shifted to House, but she didn't question where this piece of wisdom came from.

Magnani stroked Jacobs' hair. "Do what you think is right. Maybe I should talk to Bart."

"I hope he went home. Jessica might be the best person to talk to him at this point." Jacobs stared at her remaining food. "I just feel so bad."

###

Not long after, Cameron followed House back to the house. Edna wasn't alone when they entered the kitchen. Anderson sat across from her. They talked in low voices.

"What's up?" House asked.

"I hadn't wanted to bother Edna before this, but I do need her statement about being snatched and kept at the hotel." Anderson keyed another sentence into his tablet. "I'm glad you're both here. I also need a statement about how you found Edna."

"We went to the hotel to speak to Langley, and then we decided it would be a logical place for him to hide her." Cameron stated the facts slowly so Anderson could record them. "At first we thought she was in Flynn's room, but when she wasn't, we tried the one between that and Langley's room."

"How'd you know they were both living at the hotel?"

"I think the night desk clerk told us?" She pretended that she didn't remember. "House, do you recall?"

"I believe you're right, that everything you said is accurate."

Anderson studied their faces but seemed to let it go. "Describe Edna's condition when you found her."

"She seemed to be asleep, or maybe drugged, lying on the bed in her street clothes." Cameron smiled at Edna. "We were so glad you were alive and hoped you were unhurt."

"Just a little groggy when I woke up. I was glad to see you, Dr. House, Duncan and Celia."

"So you doctors weren't alone when you rescued Edna." He glanced at his tablet and scrolled back a ways. "Duncan is Edna's son. I remember him from when he was a kid. And Celia?"

Edna smiled. "Celia is his fiancee. They'd been staying with me for a while, but had gone up to Baltimore."

Cameron nodded. "They returned when I notified them we were looking for Edna, but they're back in Baltimore now. Did you need statements from them, too?"

"No. I only need to know the circumstances. It'll help when I question Flynn again."

"Langley's still not talking?" House asked.

Anderson shook his head. "And Ricky's been tight-lipped too."

"I hope Carol and Seth can identify him as the one who attacked them."

"Me too." Anderson turned off his tablet and prepared to leave. "Thanks, all of you. I think we have enough against Langley now to bring him before a judge."

"The more we talk to people the more we learn about how he was quick to anger and then held grudges for a long time before he acted."

"I'm hearing that too." Anderson grimaced. "The only problem is that the charges against him are obscured by the fact that he had others do his dirty work. But he was directly involved in Edna's kidnapping, and that might be his downfall. Well, I'll say goodnight. Talk to all of you tomorrow. And let me know if you learn anything else we can use against Langley."

"How about a cup of tea or coffee?" Edna offered once he was gone.

"No thanks." Cameron grinned at her. "I'll miss you taking care of us."

"I've enjoyed having you two around."

"When do Duncan and Celia return?" Cameron asked.

"They should be back by the weekend. Celia's completed all she wanted to do in Baltimore. But Duncan will have to return to work in a week or so."

They said their good-nights, and House and Cameron descended the steps to their place.

Cameron put her purse down and stretched. "I feel for Simpson."

"He'll be alright. I'll keep him busy, and the next thing you know, he'll fall for someone else."

"Do you have someone in mind?"

He sneered at her. "You spend too much time worrying about other people."

"And you sometimes don't spend enough."

He sat on the sofa, a frown on his face. "That angers you, doesn't it"

She sat next to him. "House, I love you the way you are. Your occasional lapses into sentimentality may be one of the reasons why. You pick and choose when you care, rather than my all-around compassion. You cared about Edna when she was missing."

"Well, of course I did. Without her around, who'd give me my first cup of coffee in the morning?"

She smirked. "Don't pretend. Alright, I won't push you."

"I'd rather focus on us." His open hand pointed to her and then back to himself.

"Sure. Me too."

His arm slid around her and he pulled her close. She rested her head on his chest. He kissed the top of her hair. She looked up at his face.

Without a word, they both stood. After a long kiss, with tongues touching, they stopped to open the couch. They shed their clothes and stretched out together under the sheet.

"Now, this is the way to end a day." House grinned as his hands roamed, tracing the curves of her slim figure.

She closed her eyes to better focus on the sensations he was arousing, but she wasn't idle. Her hands did their own roaming. As friction of skin on skin caused the heat of their bodies to rise, they tossed off the covers.

He rained kisses all over her, from her lips down, down, down. She groaned with delight.

His phone rang.

Cameron started to reach for it, but House pulled her arm back. "Let it ring."

"It could be important."

"If it is, they'll leave a message."

She nodded slowly and returned to what they were doing, but she'd lost the sense of excitement.

House sighed. "We can continue in the morning."

She retrieved the sheet and wrapped herself in it, then saw the light blinking on his phone indicating a phone message. Quickly, she played it.

"House, it's Jessica. Someone just called me on James' phone. There's been an accident. Please call me immediately."


	19. Chapter 19

Let's find out what happened to Wilson...

 **Chapter 19.**

House beat Cameron to the pile of clothes and was dressed faster than he'd ever been. As she dressed, he called Jessica back with his phone on speaker.

"House, I don't have all the details, but there was an explosion at PPTH." She sobbed. "He just stopped by there to say he was leaving for good, to turn in his resignation."

"Who called you?" House's voice was gruffer than intended.

"A man. He didn't give a name, just said I was the main number on James' cellphone. I'm driving up there as soon as I put some things in a suitcase."

"I'm coming with you. I'll be there in ten minutes." House closed the connection and turned to Cameron. "I'm going. Jessica will have told my team. No one will miss me for a few days."

She nodded. "I want to go too, but maybe it's best if you and Jessica go. If you need me, call."

"I'll phone you as soon as I know more." He kissed her, grabbed his bag, and climbed the stairs.

We watched his back, then sat on the bed, clutching a pillow to her chest. Eventually, she changed into her nightshirt and stretched out again, but she couldn't sleep. All she could think about was the call from Jessica. If someone other than Wilson called, if they used his phone, it couldn't be good news.

###

In the morning, she pushed herself out of bed, showered and dressed. When she reached the kitchen, Edna looked at her questioningly. "When did Dr. House leave?"

"About eleven last night." She slumped into a chair. "Something happened to PPTH and Dr. Wilson was injured. House and Jessica drove up to New Jersey." She shook her head. "That's all I know." Her phone rang. "House, what happened?"

"Wilson was collecting things from his office at the hospital when a bomb went off in the basement of the building It was enough to level all of it." His voice sounded strange, almost a monotone, like he was reciting something he couldn't believe.

"Wilson?"

"He sustained injuries to his head and right shoulder. The EMTs stabilized him and took him to Princeton General. Doctors there operated on his shoulder immediately. They say he'll recover, but it'll take a while."

But Wilson wasn't the only one she was concerned about. "What about your former team?"

"You mean Foreman's team? He was badly injured according to reports, but I don't know where he was taken. The others received only minor wounds. They're helping to care for anyone else who was rescued and brought here."

She wondered whether to ask about Cuddy, but decided House would mention her if he knew anything. "You must be exhausted. Get some rest. And when you see Wilson..." She hesitated, but finally went on. "Give him my love."

"Jessica won't leave his bedside." His voice sounded a little more animated. "I guess I'll crash for an hour or two at Wilson's place."

Cameron had one more question, curiosity really, something that might help her accept what happened. "House, do they know what caused the explosion?"

"They think it was something kept in a storage room, something flammable. Honestly, with all they keep down in that basement, it's surprising something like this never happened before."

She thought about all he'd told her. "I'm driving up there, maybe not today, but tomorrow."

"You don't have to. I expect to be home in a couple of days."

She smiled slightly. He called Shelby 'home'. "Call me if anything changes."

"I will." He ended the connection.

She wondered why he didn't want her there. Was Wilson in worse shape than he said? Were there complications from the explosion for House? Did being in Princeton bring back some of his worst memories?

She'd have to bury herself in her work at the clinic until he returned.

"How's Dr. Wilson?" Edna asked.

"He was injured in an explosion. Shoulder and head. But he's getting the best help he can." She certainly hoped that was true. When he left he'd been filled with so much hope for the future. The thought of starting over in a hospitable town with Jessica at his side was foremost in his thoughts.

Edna frowned. "Oh, the poor dear!"

Cameron nodded. "House will stay a couple of days to see if there's anything he can do, but then he'll return."

"Jessica's there, too, isn't she?"

"Yes. House says she's staying at Wilson's bedside." Cameron wondered if Simpson heard anything from his sister. Normally she'd expect House to give a straightforward account of what was happening, but not when it concerned Wilson.

"I heard you offer to join them."

"House says they don't need me there, so I'll just wait for him to come home." She put down her coffee mug. "I have to leave for the clinic, especially since Carol won't be in until late today."

"Oh?"

"Didn't Anderson tell you last night? She and Seth are visiting the jail to identify Ricky as the man who attacked them." She stood and grabbed her purse from the table.

"Oh, yes. Well, let's hope they do. I couldn't help the chief by giving a description of the ones who abducted me."

Cameron drove to the clinic, but her thoughts kept returning to House's description of Wilson's condition. Rusty waited by the door for her and put a smile on her face. "Sorry I'm late," she said.

"Where's Carol?" the teen asked.

"She had an errand to attend to." She didn't have to tell Rusty the details.

They went through to the exam room and she continued my mentoring.

###

House didn't sleep long at Wilson's. He was up and moving the minute the sun peeked through the drapes of the guest room, a room where House stayed for a while but he didn't want to think about that time. Less than a minute in the shower and then he dressed for the day, grabbed his cane, and was out the door, turning quickly around to lock the door.

The drive to Princeton General was long enough for him to work out how to handle the situation. With large sections of PPTH gone, Wilson had to go through with his plan to move away. House wished he had the connections to get Wilson a position in another hospital or a private practice in a small, quiet town, quieter than Shelby.

They'd brought in a gurney for Jessica to sleep on. "Every bed and cot in this place is occupied by victims from the explosion," she told House.

He still hadn't seen any of his former staff. Better that way, he thought.

"James woke a couple of times during the night, but he wasn't lucid. The anesthetic from his surgery has probably worn off, but they have him on strong pain meds because of his shoulder." She stood and stretched. "I wonder if there's anywhere I can take a shower."

House went to inspect the bathroom. "There's one in here."

She nodded, grabbed her bag, and locked herself in.

He sat next to Wilson's bed, willing him to wake-up. Wilson's eyelids fluttered, but didn't open. House's frown deepened.

Jessica reappeared in fresh clothing. "Anything?"

House shook his head. "Did they check for pressure in his head?"

"The doctor I spoke to said brain function seemed normal and he didn't see any swelling."

A nurse came in to check Wilson's vitals by hand, despite the fact he was hooked up to machines that were monitoring them. She wrote something on a chart, probably her readings.

"When will the doctor be in again?" House asked.

"Who are you?"

"I'm a friend and colleague of Dr. Wilson's and I wanted a word with his doctor. Who's assigned to his case?" House grabbed at the chart, but the nurse pulled it back.

"You have no right to read this, even if you knew what any of it meant."

House glanced at the readouts above the bed. "Looks like his O-Sat is low." He pointed with his cane. "It's eighty-eight, should be more than ninety. Also, his blood pressure is low. But most troubling is his temperature. He has a fever. Are you giving him anything for that?"

"I told you he is OUR patient. We are doing everything we should to help him recover." She glared at him. "You have no right to interfere."

"He has every right." Jessica moved between the nurse and House. "Dr. House knows more about medicine than anyone in this hospital. If he says you should be doing more, than you should." Her voice was low, but there was no doubt she meant what she said. "I want to speak to the doctor in charge and request that Dr. House be consulted on Jim's case."

A doctor entered. Young, clean-cut and tall. "What's going on here?"

"Doctor, these visitors are attempting to tell me how to treat the patient."

"I only pointed out that his O-sat and b.p. are low and his temperature high." House pointed to the readings that had worsened as they spoke.

Jessica smiled sweetly. "And I requested that Dr. House be consulted on the case."

"You're Dr. House?" The younger doctor surveyed the older one.

"I see you've heard of me."

"Who hasn't?" He took the chart and scanned it. "Why are you so interested in this case?"

"Dr. Wilson is a friend and former colleague at the hospital that has recently flooded your facility with the injured."

"Nurse, I don't see any orders for a fever reducer."

The nurse sputtered. "I followed the orders left by the doctor on duty last night."

"And last night the patient didn't have a fever. Why weren't the changes in his condition brought to my attention?" The young doctor examined the drips and nodded to himself, then turned to the nurse. "I'm adding Tylenol to his meds. We'll see whether that brings the temperature down. In the meantime, I'll need blood and urine tests."

"Yes, Dr. Edwards."

House smiled at her back as she went out to arrange what Edwards ordered.

"Dr. Edwards, what does a fever indicate in this case? Does he have an infection?" Jessica asked.

"It's possible. Or it may be something else. Dr. House, I would appreciate your expert help here as the young lady suggested."

House nodded, and Jessica said, "I'm Jessica Simpson. I'm Dr. Wilson's girlfriend and I have his medical proxy." She pulled it out of her purse and held it out.

Edwards nodded and waved it away. "I'm going to make sure the nurse ordered the tests. You can both stay here."

But before he could exit the room, an older doctor entered and blasted Edwards. "What is this that the nurse tells me? You're letting an unauthorized doctor examine one of our patients?"

"Dr. House is..."

"I know exactly who he is. There's no need for a diagnostician for any of the patients who were wounded in the explosion at PPTH." He turned his gaze toward House. "I doubt you're even certified to work in this state any longer. You certainly don't have privileges here at Princeton General."

House had already pointed Edwards in the right direction, and could probably leave gracefully, but that wasn't his style. "And you are?"

The man stood as tall as he could, but he was still a head shorter than House. "I'm Dr. Fielding, the head of the trauma unit of this hospital. And I and my staff are perfectly capable of handling the victims of this incident without your help."

"Fielding. Don't believe I've ever heard that name before." Of course House had, but he wouldn't say so. "Trauma unit? Is that a new euphemism for emergency room?" Most doctors worth their salt would admit to running an ER, although he'd known a few who'd done an admirable job of it, namely Cameron.

"I'll have you know we have the most advanced triage equipment and materials at our disposal."

"Good, then you'll use them on Dr. Wilson here." House pointed to his friend.

"Please leave the premises." Fielding's tone wasn't as polite as his words.


	20. Chapter 20

Our story continues on three fronts. Here's more.

 **Chapter 20.**

House wouldn't let Dr. Fielding intimidate him. "I'm visiting a friend, one who needs the support and comfort of the people closest to him." He sat in the chair beside the bed, as if daring Fielding to forcefully remove him from Wilson's room.

Edwards nodded at Jessica and slipped leaving Fielding to verbally duel with House.

Fielding pressed his lips together. He obviously didn't know what to do about the situation.

"Dr. Fielding, I hope you'll take good care of James, as Dr. House suggested." Jessica smiled sweetly.

"What?" It seemed Fielding had forgotten she remained in the room.

"You heard the lady." House stood again and followed Jessica out of the room.

"Do you believe that man? Obviously there's something more wrong with Jim, something they're ignoring."

"I'll check on him after Fielding leaves. In the meantime, go have a few words with Edwards. I think he could be a useful ally."

She nodded and looked around for the young doctor. He stood at the central hub for the floor, reading a computer screen over the shoulder of a heavyset nurse with a cluster of black braids gathered at the back of her neck. House smiled and headed for the elevators. Time to scout out the cafeteria and break rooms. It looked as if he'd be staying a couple more days.

###

With Rusty's help, Cameron saw two patients before Carol arrived with her husband. Seth looked a whole lot better than when she saw him last. His facial bruises had healed at least.

"Sorry I'm late." Carol took off her coat and motioned Seth to one of the chairs in the waiting area, where two other patients sat.

Cameron motioned Carol into the exam room. She didn't want to question her with patients listening. "Were you able to identify Micky as the one who attacked you?"

"I never got a good look at him, but Seth's sure it's the same man."

Cameron grinned. "At least that's settled. I assume Anderson is charging him."

"He is, but he's more interested in getting him to testify against Langley." Carol narrowed her eyes at Cameron. "You said, 'at least'. What else is happening?"

"House drove up to Princeton last night with Jessica. PPTH exploded, part of it anyway. Jim was hurt. They're with him at Princeton General now."

"Oh, no!" She took Cameron's hand. "If you want to..."

Cameron shook her head. "House and I agreed that I should remain here. Hopefully, he won't be there long."

"Well, let me know if you hear anything further. Dr. Wilson's a nice man." Carol reached for the door knob. "I'll send in the next patient and your shadow."

"Rusty's doing well, learning a lot I hope. Makes me anxious to see how our other student does."

"When does she start?" Carol asked.

"Tomorrow after school."

Carol nodded and stepped through the doorway, calling out the name of the next patient. She also told Rusty to go back in.

###

House's team had a stack of patient files to go through to find their next patient. Jacobs put one in the 'no' pile. "I hope Dr. Wilson's alright."

"Jess said they'd operated on him early this morning, but there might be complications." Simpson hesitated with the file in his hand, finally putting it with the 'maybes'. There were no 'yeses'.

Magnani sat up suddenly. "Listen to this one." He read off a list of seemingly unrelated symptoms.

"I'd guess he had at least two problems going on simultaneously," Simpson said. "Let me see."

Magnani handed the file to him. "Seems like the kind of complex case our boss would like to have."

"Have us work on, you mean." Simpson smirked.

"Should we continue to look at the rest or pick this one?" Jacobs asked.

"Let's return the 'nos' to Lembach, and hold on to the rest." Magnani had already gathered the discards. He headed out. "I'll take these to her office and you can begin a DDx on our new patient. I'll tell her we're taking..." He had to look at the file again. "...Miss Collins case."

Simpson motioned Jacobs to the white board. She picked up a marker and began writing the symptoms as Simpson read them to her.

Back ache – right side

Stomach ache and bloating

Swollen ankles

Acid reflux

Tingling in fingers

Subcutaneous bleeds

Groin pain and cramps

"Guess we start with the usual blood and urine tests, tox screens, and scans of the spine and organs." Simpson ran a hand over his spikey hair. "At this point I don't even want to hazard a guess what's causing all these symptoms."

"I don't want to, either. Each of those could be caused by too many diseases and disorders."

Magnani returned. "Miss Collins is being assigned to House's care. We can begin tests this afternoon."

"We should inform the Head of the House that we have a new patient, and she's a doozy." Simpson grinned. He pulled out his phone and punched in House's number from his contacts.

"This better be good." They all heard the gruff voice over speaker phone.

"We found a patient. Wait till you hear." Simpson went on to list the symptoms. "We'll do the usual preliminary tests and let you know the results. How's Dr. Wilson?"

"We're whipping the doctors and nurses here into shape so they give him the best care."

Magnani chuckled. "We don't doubt that. But what haven't they done."

"Funny you should ask. They're not reacting to changes in his vitals, so I can only imagine how slow they'd be to whatever's going on inside his head."

"His head?" Simpson felt he had to prompt his boss for more details, even though he'd heard from his sister too.

"He had a concussion, then they sedated him to operate on his other injuries. Now he's still comatose." He didn't have to add: Those idiots.

Simpson did it for him. "What idiots! Have they checked for swelling or blood clots?"

"They're doing that now. He also has a slight fever."

"Boss, is there anything we can do to help?" Magnani asked.

"Focus on our patient and keep me informed. Gotta go. The most cooperative of the doctors is coming this way."

Simpson ended the call, and they sat silently with glum faces for a few minutes before bursting into action.

"I'll order the tests, while the two of you greet our new friend and patient." Simpson headed out the door.

Magnani and Jacobs exchanged a glance and then strode together to the patient's room.

Samantha Collins was in her early thirties based on her chart, although she looked younger. The brunette had large brown eyes and a sallow complexion. Anxiety was written all over her face. "What's wrong with me?"

"Miss Collins, that's what we're here to find out. We'll be taking over your case. I'm Dr. Magnani and this is Dr. Jacobs."

"I thought a doctor named Homes was my new doctor." Her brows came together.

"House, but we're on his team and until he returns from an emergency that sent him out of town, we'll be taking care of you. Our associate, Dr. Simpson, is ordering some routine tests and once we have the results of those, we'll go from there." Jacobs smiled at the woman. "Relax. You're in good hands."

"Sounds like an insurance commercial."

Magnani and Jacobs chuckled. "What would you say your pain level was now?"

"Why do doctors always ask that?" It was a rhetorical question. "The groin pain's about a six but it's been as high as nine. The back pain seems to travel. Right now it's higher and about a four or five."

Magnani helped her sit up. "Show me where."

She reached behind and touched an area just below her right shoulder blade. He touched spots around it asking, "Does it hurt more here or here?"

She winced. "The first."

He nodded. "And the groin pain, is it relieved any after you've urinated?"

"Sometimes."

"Heather, go make sure the scans Bart ordered include the kidneys, liver and spleen."

Jacobs nodded and left.

"She likes you." The patient smirked.

He admitted, "It's mutual. Is there anyone special in your life? Your chart indicates you're single."

"I recently moved to Snow Hill to get away from a jealous and possessive man. Single suits me fine right now."

Chatting seemed to relax her so he searched for more neutral topics. "What do you do?"

"I'm currently working for a florist, doing flower arrangements for special occasions. Or rather, I was until all of this started." She examined her hands. "I enjoy my job and hope to get back to it soon."

"Is the tingling still there?" Magnani took her hand in his.

She shrugged. "Comes and goes. Right now my hands are fine, but I'd like to use the bathroom."

He helped her up and into the small room, then closed the door behind her.

"Where's our patient?" Simpson asked as he and Jacobs entered.

Magnani pointed.

"All the tests are scheduled," Jacobs reported. "Let's hope they show something to explain her symptoms."

Samantha came back into the room, and Jacobs introduced Simpson, who smiled. "All of you, please call me Sam or Sammy." The patient sat on the side of the bed and swung her legs up, then groaned.

Magnani helped her get back in the hospital bed. "Did urinating relieve any of the groin pain?"

"A little."

"Orderlies will be coming to take you for some scans right after lunch." Simpson pulled some supplies from the cabinet at the side of the room. "Meanwhile, we'll need some blood. Later, we may want a urine sample, too."

Sam nodded. "Whatever you need to find out what's causing all of this."

###

House insisted that Jessica come with him to the hospital cafeteria. They got some food, with House 'allowing' her to pay for them both. Amid the noise of all the people eating lunch, she asked, "Are you going to let Fielding continue to treat Jim?"

"Of course not. Edwards should be able to treat Wilson behind Fielding's back. I'll talk to him in private, give him my opinion. He's a sharp young man."

"While you do that, I think I'll go for a walk and then see what I can learn about the investigation of the explosion."

"Good." He looked up and smiled. "I see a couple of former ducklings who might be able to help on both fronts."

Jessica turned around to see who he'd spotted. A woman and two men, one blond and the other short with dark receding hair, sat at a nearby table.

"Finished?" House looked at her near-empty salad plate.

"I guess so." She bussed their trays, while House approached the threesome, then joined them.

"Jessica, these are a few members of my former team. The guy with the hook nose is Taub, the blond's Chase, and the broad's Thirteen. This is Wilson's latest, Jessica." He'd gotten better at introductions over the last few months, thanks in no small part to Cameron.

Jessica smiled and held our her hand. They each shook it.

"How is he?" Surprisingly, it was Taub who seemed the most concerned.

Jessica shook her head. "We don't know yet. They didn't seem to be doing anything beyond monitoring him, and then not responding to what the readings were..."

"Until House set them straight." Chase smirked.

House didn't comment, although he wondered whether Chase would do the same.

"How's life away from PPTH?" Thirteen asked.

House wondered why she didn't show more curiosity about Wilson. "You'll find out soon enough, I guess."

"The building isn't completely destroyed," Taub said. "I heard they'll rebuild."

"Don't count on it. First they'll investigate the explosion, then they'll haggle with the insurance company. You'll be lucky to see the inside of the place in less than three years.

The three studied their former boss. "You look..." Taub squinted. "Relaxed."

"If you lived in Shelby and worked in Snow Hill, you'd be too." Jessica glanced at her watch. "I'm going for my walk, then back to Jim's room. Coming, House?"

"Not just yet."

"I'll see you later, then. It was nice meeting you all." She nodded to them and strolled off.

"I understand you're working at a hospital down there. Know of any openings?" Thirteen asked.

"I have a team, thank you very much. Jessica's brother and a couple of others."

"In other words, stay out of your playground." Chase smirked.

House grinned. Chase couldn't know how true that comment was.


	21. Chapter 21

Our story continues. Hope you're enjoying.

 **Chapter 21.**

When House returned to Wilson's room, his friend wasn't there. Jessica sat next to the empty bed reading a magazine.

"They take him for tests?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes. The scans you suggested." She closed the magazine with her finger in her place. "Edwards was just here to tell me it wouldn't be much longer."

"Good. I knew he'd come through."

"So, what did you tell your old team?" Her head tilted toward the door.

"That they should stay the hell out of my playground."

She laughed. "I guess they're wondering what will happen to them now that the hospital is gone."

"They have contracts, but I don't remember what it says about disasters." House walked to the window and looked out. The hospital grounds consisted of concrete paths winding between a few trees. Quite a change from the park-like setting of PPTH.

Two orderlies wheeled Wilson in and transferred him to his bed before Edwards breezed in. "The initial scans confirm there's damage."

Jessica's hand over her mouth stifled her sob.

"We expect it will heal without long term effects, but we can't be sure. Time will tell." He edged closer to Wilson. "Has he woken at all?"

"His eyes flickered periodically before they took him for his scans, but he hasn't been back long." House frowned. "It's not a good sign."

"No it isn't." Edwards pulled up one of Wilson's lids and shone a light. "Pupil's reactive." He checked the other one. "I'd hate to use stimulants of any kind to wake him."

"Give it another hour."

"House, what's going on?" Jessica's lip quivered.

House found it hard to be matter-of-fact. "Wilson should have awoken by now. The anesthetic has worn off and he should have recovered from his unconscious state. On the other hand, his responsive eyes confirms that the damage is minor."

"But that's a lot of 'should-have's'." She sighed. "I'll hold on to the last."

###

The initial results for the team's patient were inconclusive. They sat in the conference room.

"Gotta be something to do with her kidney function." Jacobs shook her head.

"But the indicators are within normal range even if the creatinine level is at the high end," Simpson argued.

Magnani turned a few pages. "What about the liver?"

"Normal. Nothing there."

"And why would either of those cause tingling in her fingers?" Jacobs looked from the reports to her teammates. "I can see the swollen ankles from water retention if her kidneys aren't working normally. If it's not her heart or her liver causing the edema."

"But where does the back pain come in?" Simpson pointed to that on the board. "Or the cramps?"

"Yeah. Kidney disease can cause body cramps but not in the groin."

"No, but kidney stones can." Magnani dropped the pages on the table. "And those might account for the back pain, too, depending on where the pain is."

"We'll have to wait for the scans of her kidneys, liver and spleen to see if she has stones. And we're still left with tingling fingers."

Jacobs rubbed her eyes. "I wish House was here. He might hint whether we're going in the right direction or not."

"What's the latest from Jessica?" Magnani asked.

"They're doing scans because he still hasn't woken up."

###

Even with Langley and his cohorts in jail, Cameron continued to wonder why he went after the people he did. Maybe they'd never know, especially if Langley continued his silence.

She'd examined Seth's injuries, finding that they'd healed well. "When do you expect to go to work for your brother?"

"They've started working again on your house. It shouldn't be long before they'll need my painting skills. Meanwhile, I'll go out and see whether he needs me for anything else. The guy who fell from the scaffold will be returning to work next week."

"That's good news." She smiled. "Guess all of Langley's plans have come to nothing. Maybe delayed some things, caused you some pain, but in the end he didn't achieve his goal, whatever it was."

"So you and Will are going ahead with your campaigns?"

"Of course."

"I'm glad. Maybe I can work on my brothers bid for mayor."

"He'd like that." She sent him on his way. "I hope next time I see you, you'll be painting the walls of my house."

"You bet."

Rusty had just stood by as Cameron examined Seth, but he helped her with the rest of her patients until it was time for him to go to school. Before he left he said, "Dr. Cameron, can my friends and I help with your campaign? None of us have ever been involved in politics, but we'd all love to help you. And Rachel's dad, too."

She smiled at the offer. "Sure Rusty. I'm sure there are ways you can help."

"My parents are going to vote for you, and not just because you're letting me learn from you." He hefted his backpack and headed out the door.

Cameron still had a few patients before lunchtime, but Rusty's words stayed with her until she closed the clinic and had a late lunch at the diner. Then she called House and her good mood evaporated.

"Wilson is still unconscious," he reported. "His pupils are responsive but he's not waking up. The fever's gone, so that's good. I'm afraid I'm going to have to stay here for a few more days at least."

"I can drive up tomorrow." Wilson was her friend, too.

"You don't have to do that. I'm staying at Wilson's place. I found some of my stuff still there, and there's food in the fridge."

Cameron didn't know what to say other than, "Keep me updated. I...how's Jessica?"

"Hanging in there, trying to understand what's happening. Cameron, I haven't told her, but I'm...I'm worried."

If House could admit that, then the situation must be even worse than she thought.

"Ran into Taub, your ex, and Thirteen a little while ago. They're worried about what will happen to their jobs with the hospital demolished."

"Don't they have contracts?"

He nodded although she could see him. "I reminded them of that. Meanwhile, they're helping out here."

"Still no sign of Cuddy?"

"I haven't looked."

Cameron chuckled. "No, I didn't expect you to."

"What's happening there?"

"Carol and Seth positively identified Ricky as their assailant. Langley still isn't talking, so we can only guess at his motives. Haven't seen your team yet today, so I know nothing of their new patient or how Simpson's doing now that Jacobs and Magnani are a couple."

"There's Edwards, my cooperative doctor. Gotta go." He ended the call.

Cameron was left feeling the urge to get in her car and drive to New Jersey, but knew she shouldn't. She finished her iced tea and returned to the clinic.

###

House and Jessica waited for Edwards to speak.

"Since the scans showed damage and he still hasn't come out of his coma, I'm afraid we'll have to operate."

"Operate? On his head?" Jessica's frown deepened. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"It's more dangerous to just wait for him to heal." House wanted to convince himself as well as Jessica.

Edwards nodded. "We don't know whether he'd be left with permanent damage if we don't take action now."

"Now?" She closed her eyes to keep in the tears.

"If Dr. Edwards agrees, I'd like to assist him."

"Dr. House, I've never had to do anything like this before. If you have any experience..."

House smiled slightly. "Of course I have. But as Dr. Fielding was quick to point out, I don't have privileges in this hospital. Not even sure I can practice in New Jersey any more."

"You've been called in to treat patients from other states, haven't you?"

"Yes, but the patients came to me." House tapped his cane.

Jessica dared to put a hand on his arm. "House, you have to do this. For me. For Jim."

"Don't you think I want to? That I'd jump at the chance? But I've become more careful about what I do to defy medical authorities."

Edwards crossed his arms and smirked. "I didn't see any evidence of that when you stood up to Fielding."

"He's far from an authority here." House remembered that the hospital was run by a man named Granger. Not a doctor, but an administrator. From what House knew he allowed his senior doctors free reign, but was Fielding really a department head? "Who runs the neurology department?"

Dr. Edwards smiled. "Dr. Peters. He's..."

House grinned. "Dr. Peters owes me a couple. Guess I'll have a word with him." He headed to the elevator with Edwards staring at his back.

House checked the hospital directory and found that Peters office was on a corridor off the reception desk. He hoped the doctor was in as he strolled toward the office, but it was empty and the door was locked. House wiggled the knob, then studied the lock. He could open it, but he needed Peters' help so he refrained. Instead, he found a relatively clean piece of paper in his pocket and wrote a note that he slipped under the door. Then he returned to Wilson's room.

Jessica talked in hushed tones with Thirteen. Wilson was back in his bed, still unconscious.

"Where'd you go?" Thirteen's tone was accusatory.

"Went to see a man about a patient."

Just then Edwards spoiled his fun. "What did Peters say?"

"You went to talk to Peters?" Chase's eyes went wide. "The same Peters you proved didn't know what he was talking about? Twice?"

"I solved two cases for him. He owes me." House shrugged. "Anyway, he wasn't there."

"That's good. Wilson can do without a confrontation between the great Gregory House and the head of Neurology here." Chase had learned the look of exasperation from Cameron, or maybe Cuddy.

"Well, since Foreman's under the weather, I needed another neurologist consulting on the case."

Chase poked a finger in House's chest. "You're not the doctor in charge of this case."

"Neither are you." House smiled.

"Isn't the important thing here that Dr. Wilson receives the best care?" Edwards said. "I've already told Dr. House he can consult on the case. We're trying to by-pass Fielding, who's good enough at treating trauma from accidents and such but not knowledgeable about brain damage."

"And I suppose House convinced you he is." Chase shook his head. "That's why he's trying to enlist help from Peters."

As they argued, Jessica sat at the side of Wilson's bed, stroking his hand. "Doctors, I think he's waking up finally." Her hand moved to Wilson's cheek. "Jim, I'm here and so is House."

Wilson's lips parted. "J...Jess?"

"There was an explosion at PPTH and you were injured," she said.

His eyes flickered as they had a few times before, but this time they opened further. "Wh...where…?"

House moved closer. "You're at Princeton General. Do you remember any of what happened?"

Wilson looked at him with a furrowed brow. "H...happened?" He closed his eyes again. "Pain."

Edwards burst into action. He checked Wilson's eyes as he'd done before. "Where's the pain?"

As if he couldn't deal with the pain, with the people crowded around him, with the bright light in the room, whatever, Wilson retreated into the coma-like state he'd been in since the accident.

"Should we let him sleep?" Jessica remained sitting at his side.

"There should be someone here all the time, watching to see when he wakes again." Edwards glanced at the monitors. "Blood pressure's better and so is the oxygen saturation."

"I'll stay." Jessica smoothed the blanket.

House hesitated. "I'll check in later, see if you want to take a break."

"Thanks, House."

House left with Chase and Edwards.

"Do you still want to talk to Peters?" Chase asked.

"Why not?" House countered. "I have two phone calls to make and then I'll check to see whether he's back in his office."

Chase smirked. "Give my love to Cameron." He strode off.

"I'll find out whether any more of Dr. Wilson's results came in." Edwards left him too.

House found a not very comfortable chair in the waiting room and called his team. "Anything?"

"Nothing worth considering," Jacobs replied. "They haven't done most of the scans yet. Those should show a lot more of what's going on."

"Well, call when you get the results." House watched Taub and Thirteen walk by, stop, but seeing him on the phone, continued on. They'd be back.

"How's Dr. Wilson?" Magnani broke through his thoughts.

"Yeah, Jess hasn't called for a while."

"She hasn't left his side. I might have to pry her away." House didn't know how, though. "Wilson woke briefly. We'll still have to do exploratory surgery on his brain. I'll get the head of neurology here to do it." House hoped that was true. "Call me."

A chorus of 'will dos' and the connection was closed. Next House called Cameron with basically the same information. He debated about telling her what Chase said, though.

"So, you're determined to get Dr. Peters to do the surgery? What about Foreman?" she asked.

Just her voice lifted his spirits. "I have no idea what shape Foreman's in. Besides, like me, he may not have operating privileges at Princeton General."

"True. So you're sticking to protocols for once?" She sounded skeptical.

"More or less. Especially if I want Peters to operate."

"How's Jessica holding up? I expect she felt a momentary relief when he woke."

"She smiled for the first time since we've been here. And she has no intention of leaving Wilson's room."

"Yeah, probably hoping he'll wake again, this time for good."


	22. Chapter 22

Hope you're enjoying.

 **Chapter 22.**

House waited most of the afternoon to hear back from Peters. Edwards proposed operating on Wilson without him, but House was reluctant.

When Chase heard about it, he snarked, "You were never such a wuss with our patients. Jumped right in and performed procedures you'd never seen in person, let alone done yourself."

"Those were patients. This is Wilson." House was adamant.

At four he returned to Peters office and this time found the neurologist in. House pasted on a smile and knocked on the door, waiting to be asked to enter before doing so.

"Dr. House. Long time no see." Peters was as tall as House but bulkier with a full head of graying sandy-colored hair. His suit was impeccable, and he exuded a confident air. "I understand you wanted to see me."

"You're aware, of course, that Dr. Wilson has been admitted to this hospital with head injuries following the explosion at PPTH. His tests show some damage and he's been mostly comatose since he was brought in."

"And?"

"He requires surgery. There's damage to his brain. Only the best neurosurgeon should operate, don't you agree?"

Peters studied House's face. "You're not asking for yourself, are you?"

"Oh, no. I don't expect any favors from you. This is strictly a professional request."

Peters smirked. "For you, I probably wouldn't do it, but for Dr. Wilson, well, let's just say the world still needs the best oncologist in the state."

House felt a weight lift from his shoulders. His approach had worked, and now Wilson would finally get the care he needed.

###

The tests on their patient gave House's team mixed results. Her urine and blood showed no abnormalities, an x-ray of her spine showed a minor spur near the spinal column, but the scans showed no apparent problems with her kidneys, liver or spleen.

"We can rule out a few things, and we have a cause for her back pains, but what about the other symptoms?" Jacobs sat down at the conference table and reread the results.

"Maybe we should order an endoscopy or a colonoscopy." Magnani added some notes to the white board. "Or both."

Simpson nodded. "With stomach bloating and cramps we'll need both to determine where the problem is. I'll go write up the order."

Jacobs and Magnani watched him leave. "He seems less upset about the two of us, doesn't he?" she said hopefully.

"At least he's resigned to it. I was a little worried it would make you change your mind to know how he felt."

"It couldn't change my heart." She stood and walked the few steps to him, putting her arms around his neck. "I feel sorry for Bart, but he'll find someone else. It's not as if I ever encouraged him, is it?"

"No, not really. I just don't want things to get awkward." He rested a hand on top of her head. "The three of us work so well as a team."

She let go and went back to her seat. "Let's focus on the case while we're at the hospital. We'll worry about our relationships when we're home this evening."

He crossed off one of the items from the white board, the back ache. "We can take care of that with ice, rest, some stretching, Ibuprofen and if needed steroid injections. If that doesn't work, we might have to operate, but we should try to avoid that."

Simpson knocked before he entered.

"Why'd you knock?" Jacobs was surprised.

He shrugged. "I didn't want to catch you in a compromising position."

"Bart, this is our workplace. Nothing like that will happen here."

He changed the subject. "The endoscopy will be done late this afternoon, depending on when she ate lunch, but the colonoscopy will have to be delayed since she hasn't done any of the prep."

"Makes sense." Magnani pointed to the board. "Anything we should add here?"

"You took off the back ache."

"Well, we know what caused that." Jacobs shrugged.

Simpson considered that. "We should ask for a consult from one of the joint pain specialists at the hospital."

Magnani nodded. "Good idea. I've heard good things about Horton."

"Me too." Jacobs picked up the internal phone and called to ask for the specialist to look at the spine x-ray for their patient. "The nurse said we should send the information over to him and he'll review it before the end of the day."

"We should go tell our patient what to expect." Simpson had his hand on the door knob.

Together they strode through the hall to Samantha Collins room. The patient was propped up in a sitting position, but wincing.

"Let me adjust that a little. It should relieve the pain." Simpson pushed the button to lower the upper part of the bed.

"Your x-rays showed what is probably causing that pain in your back." Magnani told her what they proposed and that a specialist in pain treatment would consult on her case.

"That leaves your other symptoms. We haven't received the scans yet, but hope they'll reveal the culprit." Simpson studied the woman. "Have you ever had an endoscopy or a colonoscopy?"

She shook her head.

"We've scheduled those for you. The nurse will be in soon to get you ready for the endoscopy."

"Thanks. You three have been more help than all of the other doctors I've seen."

###

Cameron finished with her last patient, then made some notes to herself for the student she'd be mentoring the next afternoon. She'd learned some things from her sessions with Rusty and she hoped to use them with the next student. Teaching eager youngsters made her feel almost as good as treating her patients. She only hoped the kids got as much out of it as she did.

She didn't look forward to dinner alone at the diner, but chances were good that someone would join her before she got any food.

The air was still balmy as she walked across the alley. Soon the nights would be cooler as fall weather approached. She sat in the booth and pulled out her phone, anxious to hear the latest from House on Wilson's condition.

"Peters agreed." His voice was almost joyful. "He'll operate on Wilson tomorrow with Edwards and me assisting."

"If you think surgery's necessary." Cameron trusted his judgment.

"It is. Each time he wakes, he's more alert, but there's something...missing. As if a fog surrounds his brain."

"Does he recognize you or Jessica?"

"Yes, but he never stays awake for long."

"I'm glad you're there for him." She sensed the team's arrival before she saw them. "Your newest ducklings are here. Want to talk to them?"

"Yes. Need to get a full report on our patient."

"And they probably want one on Wilson." She turned on the speaker and handed her phone to Jacobs who was closest.

Jacobs told him where they were with the diagnosis of their patient, then asked about Wilson.

"I've enlisted the aid of the head of neurology here. He'll operate tomorrow."

"But is Dr. Wilson still comatose?" Simpson asked. "And how's my sister doing?"

"He's woken for brief periods of time. Hasn't Jessica talked to you?"

"I haven't heard from her since last night. Then again, I've been a little busy. So how is she?"

"She hasn't left Wilson's side." There was a chuckle in House's voice.

"They've gotten very close. I'm happy for her."

"Do I detect a note of jealousy on your end?"

"No. No. Of course not. I really am happy my sister's happy."

"But you're not happy."

Simpson glanced guiltily at Jacobs and Magnani. "House, do we have to talk about this now?"

Cameron could picture the smirk on House's face. "Let it drop, House."

Jacobs filled the subsequent silence. "We'll keep you informed on what we learn about Sam."

"That the patient?"

"No it's some arbitrary person Jacobs wants to report on," Simpson snipped. "Of course it's the patient."

"You do that, then. Don't know when I'll be back."

Cameron came to a decision. "I'm driving up next weekend."

"No!" House's shout was so loud, other diners looked toward the booth.

"No? You're forbidding me to be there for Wilson? He's my friend too."

House voiced lowered to almost a whisper. "What I mean is you don't need to run into some of our former colleagues."

"I can handle them."

"Why not wait until after his surgery before you make any hasty decisions."

"Is there something I don't know, something you're keeping from me?" Cameron was becoming suspicious.

A full minute of silence. "Okay. But don't ever say I didn't warn you."

"So this is for my benefit?"

"For who else's benefit would I tell you not to come?"

"Oh, let's see. How about yours?"

"Cameron, if I had my way I'd be there with you rather than here. I'm beginning to feel it wasn't only PPTH that was toxic."

"You're condemning the whole state?" Cameron asked.

"Hmm, well, maybe this part or at least the hospitals. Frankly, I've been longing for Shelby, and even Snow Hill since I arrived."

"Wow, that bad?"

"That bad."

"What time is Wilson's surgery scheduled for?"

"Eight tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, Peters had another operation to do this afternoon."

"Call me when it's over."

"Of course. Actually, I planned on calling you later this evening." A leer in his voice made her smile. "Kiddies, you can close your ears for this part."

She chuckled. "I'll turn off the speaker." She did. "Okay, shoot."

"Perhaps you can wear that little red number tonight."

She pictured the nighty he referred to, one of his favorites. Hers, too, she had to admit. "I think that can be arranged." She ended the call with something to look forward to.

"So you're going up there?" Jacobs asked.

"Yeah. No matter what happens tomorrow, I plan to drive up on Friday."

They chatted through dinner. The team felt they couldn't share much about their case with Cameron, only to ask for her expertise on infectious and immuno-suppressant diseases. Meanwhile, she told them about her progress so far in teaching Rusty about the kind of medicine that takes place in a clinic.

It felt strange without House.

At seven, Cameron set off for Edna's. Her landlady seemed to be waiting for her.

"What's the latest on Dr. Wilson?"

Cameron relayed all she knew. "They'll operate tomorrow to relieve the pressure and determine whether there's more that has to be done." She remained with the older woman for twenty minutes, but was eager to go down to the apartment and call House.

She found the red nightie, not much more than some lace held together by a piece of silk. Removing her slacks, blouse, bra and panties, she slithered into it, then called him.

"Are you wearing what I suggested?" His normal growl had softened into something much more seductive.

"Of course. I could ask what you're wearing, but I think I know."

"What?"

"Nothing, of course." She laughed. "So, how is this going to work?"

"You know the places I like to touch on you?"

"Do I ever." She shivered with excitement.

"Well, pretend your hand is mine, even though it's much softer and a bit smaller."

"Okay. I think I know where this is going. But you'll have to do the same, you know." She giggled.

"Not a problem."

She started with her breasts as he usually did, slipping the spaghetti straps of the nighty off her shoulders and pushing it down to expose her chest. "How are you doing?"

"At least as well as you."

Her breath caught as she pictured him and she continued stroking, trying to imitate the way his hands moved over her body. "I wish you were here right now to do this to me."

"I imagine you're doing pretty well yourself." His voice was even more sensuous, as if it was caressing her.

"I miss you so much, the touch of your hands, the taste of your lips."

"Oh, yeah. I kinda wish you were here, too."

Cameron smiled.


	23. Chapter 23

Here's the next chapter for you wonderful readers. There's still lot's going on in Shelby, Snow Hill and Princeton.

 **Chapter 23.**

By the next morning, Cameron had come to a decision. No matter what the outcome of Wilson's surgery, she'd drive up to New Jersey on Friday afternoon. How bad could it be?

Meanwhile, she had to make sure the clinic was covered, and she had the session with her new student that afternoon. She dressed with particular care. Had to make a good impression on the girl.

Just her luck, Chrissy waited on her at the diner that morning. "What can you tell me about Hannah Briggs?"

Chrissy had to think a minute. "Oh, she's in my AP Biology class."

"With Mrs. Nathan?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"The biology teacher recommended her for my mentoring program. She starts this afternoon. So?"

"She's very quiet, keeps to herself mostly, but I guess she's smart or she wouldn't be in that class." Chrissy filled Cameron's mug and went to call in her breakfast order.

Cameron sipped her coffee and took out her phone. She stared at it a few minutes, but it was too early to call House. Wilson must still be in surgery, and if House was assisting, he'd have his phone off.

Chrissy returned with her eggs and toast. "How's Dr. Wilson doing?"

"They're operating this morning." She pointed to the phone. "I'm just waiting for House to call."

"Well, tell him we're all thinking of them both. Jessica, too."

"Will do." Cameron hoped Hannah was as great at Chrissy and her friend Rachel. She thought about Rachel while she ate. When she'd finished, she took out her phone and called the girl's father. "Morning, Will. Seth told me you were almost ready to paint the inside of the house."

"We'll probably start on that next Monday. Got the paint you and House picked out."

"Sounds great. No more incidents?" she asked.

"No, and with Langley in jail, I don't expect any. We're back on schedule. The windows go in today." He sounded happy.

She smiled. "Wow. I'll have to drive out there when I get back to see how it all looks."

"Where are you going?" He stopped, then said, "Oh, wait. Didn't I hear that Dr. Wilson was injured in an accident in New Jersey?"

She nodded, although he couldn't see her. "An explosion at the hospital where House and I used to work. House is already there. I'm driving up tomorrow."

"Well, I'll keep Dr. Wilson in my prayers. You know, I can send you some photos of what we've done."

"Would you? I can't wait to see. Thanks, Will." The call had boosted her feelings, but as she ended it, the one she'd been waiting for came in. "House, how'd it go?"

"We can't be sure of the results yet, not until he's out of recovery and back in his room, but Peters knows his stuff. He was able to locate where the pressure was and fix any apparent damage. Now Wilson has to wake up."

"I'm driving up tomorrow. Don't argue or try to stop me." She waited for him to explode.

But it didn't happen. House sounded almost resigned. "I'll see you tomorrow, then. You know where the hospital is?"

"Yes. I'll be leaving after lunch. I expect I'll still find you at the hospital no matter what time I get there. It's about four hours, right?"

"The way you drive? Yeah, about that."

"I'll call later today to see how Wilson's doing. Tell him everyone here is thinking of him. Oh, I just spoke to Will. They're making progress at the house. He's sending pictures."

"Good."

"Good? That's all you can say after everything that's happened?"

"Cameron, I'm in the middle of something here. Good is as good as I can get."

"Sorry. I understand. I'll see you tomorrow." It was time for her to head to the clinic. She took her last gulp of coffee, waved to Linda and Chrissy and left the diner.

Three cars waited in front of the clinic, including hers and Carol's, so she walked in expecting to see a patient. Instead, Anderson sat in one of the waiting room chairs. He stood when she walked in. "I need a word with you before you start your day, Doctor."

"Sure." She opened the door to the exam room and ushered him in. "How can I help you?"

"Actually, I wanted to talk to House, but I understand he's out of town."

"Yes. He's caring for a friend of our, another doctor you might have met when he was visiting us. James Wilson. He was injured in an explosion and required medical attention." Cameron decided Anderson didn't need the whole story, so she stopped there.

"When do you expect him back?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. Fact is, I'm driving up there tomorrow."

"Oh. Well, I guess you can help me."

She smirked. This wasn't the time to point out that was a sexist attitude.

"Is there an ethical reason we can't give Langley some kind of truth drug to get him to talk?" Anderson's gaze dropped to the ground. "None of the usual means seems to be working."

"Chief, I don't know what the law says about ways to coerce anyone to admit their guilt. You see things like that happening in war movies and spy movies, of course. But in a civilian situation, and especially if his lawyer has advised him not to say anything, I doubt whether anything he says under the influence of drugs would be admissible in court."

Anderson nodded and frowned. "That's what I thought."

She chuckled. "I can see now why you wanted to talk to House. He doesn't always play by the rules. But what about the others? I thought they'd spilled the beans or whatever the current saying is."

Anderson scratched his neck. "Guess we'll have to use what they admitted." He got to his feet. "Well, thanks for your time. At least we have Seth's confirmation that Micky was the culprit in his abduction and Flynn's confession that he was the one who tampered with the scaffolding at the construction site."

Cameron nodded. "Will says they're back on schedule."

"We may never know why Langley targeted him."

"Or what part any of them played in the death of Langley's wife."

Anderson rubbed his jaw. "You suspect foul play?"

"There's no way Flynn could have seen her fall from behind the registration desk."

"Hmmm. I'll have to go to the hotel and check that out. It's something else we can grill him about. Maybe he'll tell us more about Langley's objectives, something we can use to get Langley to talk."

Cameron walked the police chief out and asked her first patient of the day to come in. It seemed they weren't through with the case against Harold Langley and his staff, but she had a job to do so she could leave for New Jersey the next day.

###

House and Jessica stood on either side of Wilson's bed in the recovery room.

"So, it all went well?" she asked.

"Ask that question one more time and I'm leaving."

"I'm sorry. I couldn't tell anything from the observation room. Who else can I ask?"

"But I told you, it went well. Whether it's enough we won't know until he wakes up." House was anxious enough. He didn't have to catch Jessica's nervousness too.

She started to say something but seemed to think better of it and kept her mouth shut. Her grasp on the bed rails whitened her knuckles. She whispered a mantra to herself, "Wake up, James, wake up."

Two orderlies entered to take Wilson back to his room.

House wouldn't let them. "He's not awake yet."

"I'm afraid we need this room for another patient. He's been here over an hour." The taller of the two released the brake on the wheels of the gurney and the other began to push. "He can wake up in his room."

House didn't like it, but he had no authority to say anything. It was a strange feeling to be in a hospital where he couldn't throw his weight around, order the orderlies, yell at the nurses and doctors. He and Jessica followed the orderlies and Wilson's gurney back to the room. By this time House knew every inch of the nine by twelve room. The view from the windows was etched in his mind.

Jessica was as silent as usual, her eyes glued to the prone form being lifted from the gurney to the bed. The bandages around Wilson's head resembled a white turban. Underneath, House knew, some of his light brown hair had been shaved, but it would grow back. Now if only House's friend would open his eyes, be the same sometimes exasperating, sometimes overly supportive Wilson he'd always been.

"Cameron's coming tomorrow," he said to fill the silence.

Jessica turned to him briefly. "I didn't think you could keep her away."

"I only hope it won't be a mistake."

"Because of the possibility that she'll run into your former team?"

House nodded, and Jessica went back to her vigil.

But House had other worries. He hadn't forgotten about the explosion that put Wilson in Princeton General in the first place, and made a mental note to ask someone who was in charge of the investigation.

###

House's new team sat in the conference room, the results of Sam's endoscopy in front of them. Minor issues, such as a tortuous esophagus, weren't enough to explain her cramps and stomach pain.

"I hope the colonoscopy identifies the real problem." Jacobs sat back in her chair and sighed.

Simpson fiddled with his pen. "We could speculate about what it'll show, but I guess we'll have to wait and see. I hate waiting."

"Have you heard anything from your sister this morning?" Magnani asked.

The blond doctor nodded. "Dr. Wilson's surgery seemed to go well. They're still waiting for him to wake up, though."

"He's such a nice man."

"And an excellent doctor."

An older doctor entered. "I've examined your patient's x-ray. There's a definite bone spur. What treatment have you begun?"

Simpson stood. "Dr. Horton. I'm Dr. Simpson and these are my teammates, Drs. Jacobs and Magnani. We haven't done much yet except some ice packs. She's undergoing tests for other problems, so we couldn't start anything else."

Jacobs smiled at Horton. "And we were waiting for your recommendations."

Horton nodded. "I would start with the simplest. Ice, Ibuprofen."

"Yes, we're already doing that. From the x-ray, does it appear she'll need surgery or injections?"

"If simple treatment doesn't bring down any inflammation or pain, that might be necessary, but let's give what you've done a chance to work." He started to go then turned back. "You say she has other issues?"

"Yes, but not related to the back pain." Simpson chuckled. "More like front pain. Stomach tenderness, bloating, occasional cramps. So far the kidneys and liver look okay. She had a colonoscopy today. Perhaps that'll show something we can treat with diet or meds."

Dr. Horton nodded. "I'd heard House had a great team. Seems like the rumors were true. Where is your illustrious boss?"

"He was called away on a consult in New Jersey. Had to assist with surgery this morning. We hope he'll be back on Monday." Jacobs knew it was wishful thinking. House would be back when he was back. Even after Wilson was in the clear, there was also the explosion at House's former hospital and he was bound to get caught up in that investigation.

"When you speak to him, tell him I can attest to the fact that your patient's in good hands."

The three young doctors smiled at the compliment, and Horton left.

"Guess we continue with our plan for Sam." Magnani sat down at the table.

"We should be hearing back on the colonoscopy soon."

###

Cameron hadn't forgotten about the explosion either, but it wouldn't keep her out of Princeton. During a lull in patients and before Hannah arrived, she called Anderson. "Chief, I have a favor to ask."

"Ask away. You've been nothing but helpful to me."

"Well, you know there was an explosion at the hospital where House and I used to work. Do you have any contacts at the P.D. in Princeton?"

"You want to know what progress they're making on the case. Yeah, I knew a couple of people there. Let me make a couple of calls and get back to you."


	24. Chapter 24

Thanks for all the great comments.

 **Chapter 24.**

That afternoon, Cameron's new student arrived promptly at three-thirty. Hannah was a short and chubby mocha-skinned girl with big brown eyes and black hair pulled into the inevitable ponytail, although not a particularly neat one.

"Hello, Hannah. I'm Dr. Cameron. Please come into the examination room." Cameron didn't remember ever seeing the girl for a check-up or illness.

Hannah practically tiptoed into the room but didn't look around or make eye contact.

Cameron needed a conversation starter. "Your biology teacher thought you could learn something from spending time with me after school."

"Uh-huh." Hannah's mouth formed a firm straight line.

Cameron wondered whether she was just shy or intimidated. How could she make the teen relax? "Do you know Chrissy Lindquist and Rachel Davis?"

"They're some of the smart kids at school." It was the longest sentence Cameron had heard from Hannah.

"I understand you're pretty smart, too. Chrissy and Rachel have both helped me here. This year Rusty Rondello has been coming in a couple of mornings every week to observe."

None of that got a reaction. Cameron sighed. "Why don't I start by showing you some of the instruments I use? Have you ever had to help take care of someone who was sick?"

"Sometimes."

"What did you do?"

"Do? When my brother or sister are sick, I help my mother."

Cameron picked up the thermometer she used. "Did you ever see one of these?"

"What is it?" The first flicker of interest appeared in Hannah's eyes.

"This is the kind of thermometer a doctor uses. I bet your mother used a stick kind like this." Cameron opened a drawer and pulled out an old-fashioned thermometer, similar to the ones used in homes for many years. "It goes under the tongue."

Hannah nodded. "Yeah. That's the kind we have. But how do you use your kind?"

Cameron started to show Hannah on the girl's forehead, but thought better of it. Instead, she took her own temperature, running the probe across her forehead, then showing Hannah the read-out. "Ninety-eight point one. That's normal for me."

Hannah's eyes narrowed as she read the numbers. "How does it do that?"

"It's not magic, Hannah. What do you know about sensors and electronics?"

"Just a little."

"Well, I understand that's how they get it to measure temperature. Now, I'll be starting to give flu shots in a few weeks. Would you like to help me with that?"

Hannah stepped back. "We don't believe in flu shots."

Cameron narrowed her eyes. "You mean you've never gotten one?" That could be a problem. She wouldn't want to have someone working at the clinic who wasn't vaccinated.

Hannah shook her head. "My mama doesn't believe in them. Says they give folks the flu."

"That's not how they work, or rather not exactly. The shot helps the patient build an immunity so they don't get a bad case of flu." Cameron made a mental note to come back to that before she started inoculating people.

###

"I'm going to get some lunch. Can I bring you anything?" House still didn't want to leave the room but was certain Jessica would call or have him paged if Wilson woke. "A sandwich or something?"

She turned toward him in her chair. "Maybe a container of yogurt. Peach or cherry and Greek if they have it."

He took one more look toward the bed where Wilson lay, unchanged since he'd been brought back after surgery. Then he was out the door and striding down the hallway to the elevators. Thirteen stood among the other passengers when he got on.

"Any change in Dr. Wilson?" she asked.

He shook his head. "What do you hear about the investigation at PPTH?"

She shrugged. "Hardly anything. They're still leaning toward a problem in the basement, something about what things were stored and where."

"Intentionally or not?"

"No one's saying." They'd reached the cafeteria floor and both got out. "I ran into Foreman this morning," Thirteen said. "He's recovering but as up in the air as any of us about the future."

House had no comment.

"Will Cameron be coming to see Wilson?"

"What made you ask that?" House countered.

"Well, they're friends aren't they?"

"Ye-es."

"But you don't want her here."

House shrugged. "There's no reason for her to come. She's busy, runs a clinic and doesn't have any backup."

Thirteen nodded as they entered the cafeteria. "There's Taub." She led the way to the table, but House veered off toward the food line. First things first.

Once they'd all sat, Taub asked the inevitable, "How's Wilson?"

House tried to think of a quick comeback, but only said, "Out of surgery." He busied his mouth with his roast beef sandwich.

Taub and Thirteen exchanged a glance. "I'll stop by and see him later," Taub said, then dropped the subject of Wilson.

"Taub spoke to one of the investigators." Thirteen drank a gulp of iced tea.

"Yeah. They still don't know what caused the explosion and they can't start the cleanup until they've gone through the rubble."

"Sounds like PPTH will be closed for a while." In a way, House was glad of that.

"The doctors here are grateful for our help for now, but once the injured are all discharged, they won't need us." Taub grimaced. "I checked my contract. In the case of a disaster, PPTH has to honor it for three months, but it specifically says a natural disaster."

"And if it's ruled intentional, or at least man-made?"

Taub sighed. "Then we're out of luck."

"Weren't you already looking for your next position?" Thirteen asked.

"I thought we all decided to start looking. With Foreman heading the team, PPTH wasn't getting the number of referrals they had before."

"You mean I brought in more than he did?" House wasn't that surprised, but found it interesting that Taub would mention it.

"House, you had a very different reputation than Foreman does. I actually think people wanted to see you in action." He smirked.

House frowned. "No way I'm going back there after the hospital is rebuilt."

"No one expects you to, although it's not just the structure that has to be rebuilt. The public perception of the place and the standing in the medical community may have suffered irreparable damage."

House thought about that as he finished his lunch. That, too, was surprising, but not completely out of the realm of possibility. "I wonder whether Foreman or Cuddy realize what your saying."

Taub grinned. "I won't tell them if you don't."

###

"What's taking so long?" Simpson paced back and forth in the small conference room. "The colonoscopy was scheduled for three hours ago."

"Maybe they're biopsying a polyp or something."

"They can still send us the preliminary results." He stopped abruptly. "I'm going down to the lab."

Jacobs and Magnani watched him leave. "Does Bart seem more anxious than usual?" Jacobs asked.

Magnani shrugged. "Maybe he's anxious about something else."

"Like about us?" She sighed. "If they have to do a biopsy, they won't release any of the results. He should know that."

"I bet Sam is anxious, too."

"Let's go talk to her." Jacobs stood and reached out a hand.

"Nothing else we can do for now." Magnani took it.

They strolled down the corridor together, nodding occasionally to other staff they knew. "This is one of the nicest hospitals I've ever worked at," Jacobs said. "You wouldn't believe some of the things that went on at the one where I did my residency."

"Yeah, I guess we lucked out. From what House and Cameron have said about PPTH, that was another winner."

"Funny how the atmosphere in hospitals can be so different."

"So, you're hoping to stay here after our stints with House are up?"

He looked at her. "Don't you?"

"Yeah, but especially if we can be together."

They entered Sam's room. Her eyes were half-closed, but she opened them completely when they walked in. "Any word?"

Jacobs and Magnani shook their heads in unison, making her laugh.

"You two are so cute together! It makes being here much more pleasant." She looked past them. "But where's Dr. Simpson?"

Magnani tilted his head toward the door. "He's trying to nudge the lab to hurry up your results."

She nodded. "Guess he's as eager as I am to learn what the tests showed."

"We consulted with a spine specialist about your x-rays and he said we're doing what we should for now." Jacobs stepped closer. "How's your back today?"

"Not bad. In fact, it's been a lot worse, so I guess he's right. I guess Dr. House isn't back yet."

Magnani shook his head. "No. He had to assist with a surgery this morning."

"Does he do that often?" Sam looked puzzled.

Jacobs and Magnani exchanged glances.

"I guess not then. What's so special this time?"

"It's another doctor, a friend of his," Magnani said.

Simpson entered the room, frowning. "Just as we expected. They're biopsying polyps. It's a zoo down there, too." His frown disappeared as he neared Sam's bed. "You're looking a bit more rested."

"With less pain in my back, it's been easier to sleep, and after the anesthetic they gave me this morning, I had a bit of a nap." She grinned. "Even the hospital food seems to agree with me."

The three doctors scrunched their noses. "I don't know whether that's a good sign or a bad one," Simpson said.

###

By the time Hannah left, Cameron was ready to scream. The girl was obviously bright, but her ideas about medicine and in particular women's place in it would hold her back from learning all she could. It wasn't Cameron's place to change her deeply held beliefs, though, and even if it was, she didn't know how where to begin.

She had one more patient after the student was gone, but by five she was ready to make arrangements for when she was out of town. She called Jacobs to ask how the team was faring.

"Our treatment is helping with her back pains, but we're still waiting for the results of her colonoscopy." Jacobs sounded anxious.

"At least you could do something for her. Would it be possible for one of you cover the clinic tomorrow? I'm driving up to New Jersey to join House for the weekend." She'd decided to drive up in the morning, even though she'd told House she wouldn't leave until after lunch.

"Oh. Sure. No problem." Jacobs chuckled. "It doesn't take three people to wait for the lab to send us results of a biopsy."

"Good. Um, will you be back in Shelby for dinner tonight?" Cameron glanced at her watch. "I can meet the three of you at the diner and give you the keys."

"We should be there by six. But why don't you meet us at our house instead? Rocco made some lasagna last weekend and there's enough left over to feed the four of us."

"Okay. See you there then." Cameron smiled as she closed the connection. She hoped House appreciated what a great team he had. Before she finished packing up, she noticed she had an email from Will. Attached were six pictures of the house. The outside looked almost done. She forwarded the photos to House with the message 'see you tomorrow'.

Cameron detoured on her way to the team's house to check in with Anderson, but he wasn't at the police station. She left him a note to ask him to send her the information about the Princeton PD's investigation by email.

The team's house wasn't that far, so she arrived before them. Waiting for them in her car she called House.

"How's Wilson?"

"No change." House's voice held a hint of the disappointment she knew he felt.

"Did you get the pictures I sent?"

"Yeah. At least one thing's going well."

"I hope you don't mind that I asked one of the members of your team to cover the clinic while I'm gone." She bit her lower lip, realizing she should have checked with him first.

House sighed. "If you insist on making the trip. It won't change anything."

"No, but I need to be there. For me. And you." She spotted the car pulling into the driveway. "I have to go. Having dinner with your team, some of Magnani's lasagna."

"I don't suppose you can bring me some. At least then your trip won't be a waste."

She chuckled. "If there's any left over I'll have them wrap it up and I'll bring it." She ended the call and got out of the car, following the three young doctors to the front door.

"I hope you weren't waiting long."

"No, just a few minutes. I spent the time on the phone with your boss, belatedly getting his okay that one of you can cover for me." She hadn't mentioned that she'd be leaving Shelby much earlier than she'd said. He'd worry if he knew she wanted to meet with one of the Princeton PD detectives investigating the explosion.

"How's Wilson?" they said in unison.

Cameron shook her head. "No change."

"That's worrying," Magnani said.

"It sure is."


	25. Chapter 25

To those of you who celebrate Easter, hope you had a happy holiday.

And thanks to everyone for reading my story.

 **Chapter 25.**

Cameron followed the team into the kitchen of their house. "Your boss put in a request for lasagna."

"If there's any left." Simpson chuckled.

She nodded. "That's what I told him."

But the pan Magnani took from the refrigerator looked like it held about eight portions. "I'll set aside some for him. Gotta keep the boss happy."

"We've decided that Bart will cover for you while you're away." Jacobs took her to the dining room where the two women sat. "He's worked in a clinic setting before."

Cameron smiled at Simpson, who came in after them. "If you have any questions, Carol will help. Here are the keys."

"Do you expect anyone tomorrow? I mean, I know your patients rarely make appointments." Simpson's voice went up at the end.

"That's right. Just show up and treat any that appear. Neither of my students is scheduled for tomorrow, so you won't be teaching them."

"Dinner's ready." Magnani brought the lasagna to the table and placed the pan on a trivet. "We tend to help ourselves around here." He uncovered the food and the aroma of tomatoes, garlic and Italian spices filled the room with the steam. "I'll be right back with bread and salad."

When he returned, Cameron was scooping some lasagna onto her plate. "You could open a restaurant."

Magnani shrugged and put a cutting board down. The garlic bread on it added to the delicious smells in the room. "I'll admit it can be more fun than cutting into a body, but I've been fascinated with medicine and what I can do for someone else since I was about ten."

"We all got the doctor bug early." Jacobs tonged salad from a large bowl and poured dressing over it. "And never lost it."

"Working with House may have even intensified it," Simpson said.

Cameron chuckled. "I know the feeling." She took another forkful of food and closed her eyes to savor the taste. They all did the same. "It's a good thing you put some lasagna aside for House, because otherwise we would have finished it all."

Magnani beamed.

After dinner the team told her a bit more about their current case until she cut them short. "I have to go home and pack."

Jacobs walked her to the door and handed her the food for House. "Tell Dr. Wilson when he wakes that we all hope he'll recover quickly and completely."

Cameron nodded, got into her car and left. She called House when she arrived at the apartment. "Magnani saved you some lasagna."

"Even cold it has to be better than what I've been eating here. Do you still expect to arrive before dinner tomorrow?"

She laughed. "I'll be at the hospital by about five." She didn't ask about Wilson. If there'd been a change, House would have said so. "Simpson will cover for me while I'm gone. He seems to have accepted the relationship between Magnani and Jacobs, although he didn't mention it."

"Jessica says he hasn't talked to her about it either." He seemed on the point of telling her something, but was silent.

"What's up?"

"Nothing's up." His voice rose.

"Uh-huh. I know you well enough to hear between the pauses. Something's bothering you." She knew she shouldn't force the issue, but also that House might want her to.

"Okay, if you must know, I ran into Foreman in the cafeteria. I tried to avoid him, but he spotted me and came over."

"And?"

"And nothing. It was...disconcerting. He's recovered from whatever injuries he had from the explosion and now he's angling for a job at Princeton General." House made an odd sound in his throat. "He even had the audacity of asking me to recommend him!"

"You knew it was inevitable that you'd run into him, but would a recommendation from you have any weight there?"

"Oh, it would have weight. I've been amazed at how many doctors and nurses here smile at me when they pass me in the halls. They smile at me." His amazement came through loud and clear.

She chuckled. "I guess they're smarter than those at PPTH, they know you get results. I'll see you soon."

"Don't forget my lasagna."

Once the call was finished, she packed what she thought she might need, and went to sleep thinking about the day to come.

###

In the morning, she washed and dressed. Mrs. McClelland insisted on feeding her breakfast, but could tell how anxious Cameron was to be on the road.

Cameron headed north. She hadn't driven that way since she moved to Maryland. She had passed Baltimore before lunchtime and stopped for a sandwich and coffee at a place just off the road. She checked her phone and saw a message from Anderson. He'd contacted his friends in Princeton and one was waiting for her.

She gassed up at the same time. The closer she got to New Jersey, the more eager she became to see House again, to see Wilson's condition for herself, but also to meet the Princeton PD folks.

She reached the Interstate exit to take her to Princeton by two thirty. With only a vague idea where police headquarters was, she used her phone GPS to find it. Parking in the visitors' lot, she entered and approached the desk sergeant. "I have an appointment to see Detective Cullen. Dr. Allison Cameron."

He checked one of the lists in front of him and nodded. "Have a seat. The detective will be right with you."

The only chair, a scratched metal kind, sat not far from the desk. Cameron automatically held her purse close to her chest as her gaze roamed the room. A couple of men waiting to be booked, a woman pleading with an officer, but not close enough for Cameron to hear why, and two women being released caught her eyes.

After less than ten minutes, a man of medium height with thinning brown hair and warm brown eyes in a sagging suit approached, holding out his hand. "Dr. Cameron? I'm Brian Cullen." His handshake was strong. "My old pal, Gary Anderson, asked me to tell you what I can about the explosion at the hospital."

"Yes, I used to work there, and friends of mine still do."

His eyes narrowed. "But you won't share what I tell you with them, will you?"

She might with House, but he was asking about people who still worked there. "No. I came up here to see one who's comatose. I doubt I'll have a chance to talk to the others. And I know how to keep a confidence."

Cullen nodded. "The explosion occurred in the basement of the main hospital building. We suspected at first that it was an accident, although helped along by the careless storing of flammable materials nearby. All it would take was a spark from an electrical short to start a fire or explosion, depending on the material."

"But? You've found something to point to a deliberate act?"

Cullen sighed. "I'm afraid so. Now, very few people had any reason to be in that basement. One was badly injured, another was out sick, a third helped the injured guy out, and still another one's gone."

"Gone? What do you mean gone? Like disappeared?"

He pointed a finger at her. "Give the lady a silver dollar. Yeah. Disappeared. No one knows where she is."

"She?" Cameron tried to remember the people who worked on the mechanical systems in the basement. Didn't the cleaning crew also leave their carts down there? "There used to be a lot of people who had access to the basement." She ticked them off on her fingers. "The electrician..." his name escaped her, "and the boiler guy, Anthony, um the janitor, Jose, and the entire cleaning crew, and I think there was a maintenance guy."

"It was a maintenance woman. Sheila Murphy. The cleaning crew no longer kept their supplies down there." He took out an Ipad and checked his notes. "Anthony Kenner is the man who was injured, and Danny Butler helped him out of the wreckage. Jose Garcia was home sick, and we checked. He has pneumonia."

"Is Anthony at Princeton General?" she asked.

"That's where they took all the injured. I haven't checked recently whether he was released yet."

"I'll be there this afternoon. I can check for you." Cameron had a few more questions for Cullen before she left. "Will they try to rebuild PPTH?"

"I expect so, but not until after we've finished with our investigation and the insurance company does theirs." He shook his head. "It's a terrible thing for the community. No other hospital in the area has the prestige that Princeton-Plainsboro did."

"I understand many of the staff that worked there are wondering whether they still have jobs. Some have been helping at Princeton General, but don't expect that will be a permanent thing for them."

"Tell me, doctor, why did you leave PPTH?" He sounded more curious than anything.

She flashed a smile. "Mostly personal reasons. Chief Anderson probably told you I run the clinic in Shelby now. In some ways it suits me. One more question. Have you uncovered any reason Miss Murphy would have to blow up the place?"

He grimaced. "Nothing so far. She was quiet, lived alone, never made any friends at work, so no one knew her well. But we'll keep digging."

"Well, thanks for the information. Please let me know if there are further developments." She gave him her business card, then shook his hand. "It's been a pleasure talking to you."

"Gary spoke very highly of you when he called, and I can see why. Let me know what you find out about Kenner."

"I will." She walked out into the early fall sunshine and got into her car, then drove to Princeton General, more anxious than ever to talk to House and to see Wilson's condition for herself.

With directions from the receptionist, she took the elevator to Wilson's floor. Walking past hurrying doctors, nurses and orderlies she found his room easily enough.

Her heart raced when her first sight was House's back. He was looking out the window, but turned when she entered. She rushed to him and wrapped her arms around him. He couldn't suppress a smile as one arm wound around her back.

Minutes later she noticed the smile on Jessica's face as she watched them. "Hi, Jessica." Cameron and House parted enough for her to glance toward the bed where Wilson lay, eyes closed and completely still. It wasn't what she hoped to see.

"His eyelids flicker every once in a while, but they don't open." Jessica stood and embraced her. "Thanks for coming. I know it's mostly because you miss this big lug." She aimed her chin at House. "But I appreciate it too, and so will Jim." She didn't have to add 'when he wakes up'.

"What have they tried? Or are they just waiting for it to happen?"

"Peters has ordered that no drugs be used until forty-eight hours after his surgery, despite my pointing out that the longer Wilson is comatose, the more permanent any damage might be." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "You wouldn't happen to have some amantadine in your purse?"

"I should have thought of bringing some." She looked down. "Sorry, that was facetious. But maybe I can get some."

"How will you do that?" Jessica asked. "You don't have access to meds here."

"True. Still, I might have my ways." She handed House an insulated bag. "Your dinner, sir."

He grinned. "You haven't asked about the explosion lately."

"If you knew anything, you wouldn't tell me." She tilted her head.

"That's not true. I've told you what I heard."

She hesitated, but had always known she'd tell him. "I talked to one of the detectives investigating the explosion."

"Cameron!"

She held up a hand. "He's a friend of Chief Anderson's, and since Anderson put in a good word for me, he talked fairly freely. They believe a maintenance woman named Sheila Murphy is responsible for the explosion, but they can't find her and they have no idea why she might have done it."

"Murphy." House tapped his cane. "I don't remember her."

Cameron shook her head. "Neither do I. They narrowed it down to those who had access to the basement, and since one was home sick with pneumonia, one badly injured in the explosion, and a third pulled the injured man out, that left her. Detective Cullen agreed to keep me in the loop but asked me not to tell anyone from PPTH anything he told me."

"And since I don't work there any more, you had no hesitation to tell me."

"I did hesitate since I knew you'd be annoyed I approached him without you. You were, weren't you?"

House ignored her. He glanced toward Jessica. "You didn't hear any of that."

"Oh, was there something to hear?" She smirked. "Allison, your secret is safe with me. Then again, I don't work at PPTH either."


	26. Chapter 26

Thanks to everyone for reading my story and for the wonderful comments.

 **Chapter 26.**

House smiled and looked past Jessica to the bed. "Does that mean we can't tell Wilson?"

"Technically, he didn't work there anymore at the time of the explosion, right?" Cameron frowned and walked closer to the bed. She took Wilson's limp hand. "Jim, did you hear what we were talking about? The cops are working on finding the person responsible. If you hear me, squeeze my hand." Nothing happened.

"We've tried that a few times already." Jessica took Wilson's other hand. A few seconds passed. "Did you feel that?" she asked Cameron.

Cameron nodded, then watched Wilson's eyelids flicker and open briefly. She exchanged smiles with Jessica.

"Let me try." Jessica leaned closer and placed her other hand on the top of Wilson's head. "Jim, can you open your eyes, Sweetie?" It took about half a minute, but the lids fluttered open again and stayed that way a little longer before closing. "You're doing great, Jim."

"Squeeze his hand and see whether he squeezes back," House said.

They both did. Again, there was a delay, but the squeeze of Cameron's hand was stronger than before. She glanced at Jessica who grinned, then at House. "His strength is returning."

Over the next hour, Wilson opened his eyes a total of four times, each time for a slightly longer strentch. House, Jessica and Cameron continued to talk to him. Certain subjects got a better response, subjects like his future with Jessica and the explosion. He responded to all of their voices, but not to that of a nurse who came to change his IV bag.

"Obviously there's a change," Cameron said. "I know you two have tried all of this before."

"I guess it was time, as the surgeon said. And I'm glad you're both here with me to see him wake."

Cameron came around the bed to squeeze Jessica's shoulder. "Now we have to hope there was no permanent damage."

"Could there be?" Jessica groaned. "I mean Dr. Peters relieved the pressure in Jim's brain, right?"

"What Cameron means is that before he did, the swelling could have stopped blood flow to parts of his brain." House frowned. "Sleeping the way he has been is possibly a temporary result. Others could be decreased ability to pay attention or remember, communicate or move. We won't know until he's completely awake and even then some of the symptoms may be temporary and some permanent."

"No!" Jessica sobbed.

Cameron's arm slipped around her. "House is only preparing you for some possibilities. But whatever the outcome, there are treatments to minimize many of them."

Wilson's eyes opened again, and this time they stayed like that. His lips moved as if he was trying to speak.

Cameron brought him some water and placed the straw in his mouth, then cranked his bed up partway. He drank, gulping the liquid. "Don't try to talk, not yet." She took the water away, as his gaze darted around the room.

"That was some scare you gave these two." House pointed his cane at Cameron and then Jessica.

Wilson managed a wan smile.

"You're at Princeton General. An explosion at PPTH destroyed part of the hospital and put quite a few of you here." Cameron tried to anticipate the questions he might ask. "That was four days ago. House has been here with Jessica ever since and I arrived today. The police are investigating the explosion."

"Your main squeeze has hardly left your side since it happened." House smirked. "Peters operated yesterday morning to relieve the edema that had built up in your brain. Bet you would have loved to watch him at work."

"No one was killed in the explosion, but several were injured. The rest are helping here with the large influx of patients."

"And that about brings you up to date, so I think I'll go eat my lasagna." House stopped at the door. "Coming, Cameron?"

She took one more look at Wilson and nodded. House led her to a room with the word Lounge on the door. "Isn't this a staff lounge, for doctors who work here?"

House shrugged as he popped the lasagna in the microwave and set the timer. "I'm a doctor. I assisted a staff doctor with surgery yesterday."

She tried unsuccessfully to suppress a laugh.

"What are you laughing at?" He leaned against the counter holding the microwave.

She ignored him. "I'm glad Wilson is waking up."

"Next you'll tell me you're delighted with the room he's in...or something," he ended lamely. The microwave dinged and he took out his food. He rummaged in a draw under the counter. "Couldn't Magnani manage to include a fork?"

That wiped the grin from her face. "What's eating you?"

"Nothing," he insisted.

"Eat your lasagna. You get grumpy when you don't have good food. Of course, you used to get grumpy over lots of other things."

He found a fork and took a big chunk of lasagna, stuffing it into his mouth. With his eyes closed, he made noises of pleasure. "I miss Magnani's lasagna. And Mo's meatloaf. And the coffee at the diner. Do you realize you can't get a decent cup of coffee in this hospital?"

Cameron wrapped her arms around him. "How awful for you. But now that Wilson's getting better we'll be able to return to Shelby soon."

He looked at her as he took another bite. "Let me enjoy this in peace."

She let go and sat at the nearest table.

As House chewed, he sat down too. He ate slower and slower, probably aware that once this was gone, there wasn't anymore as long as he remained in Princeton.

She sat too. "After you finish that, I want to check on Anthony Kenner."

"Who?"

"The boiler guy from PPTH. I told Cullen I'd check on his condition."

House nodded. "Gotta keep the cops happy so they'll pass on information."

Two doctors entered the lounge. One of them was all too familiar. "House, Cameron, what are you doing here?" Cuddy's face looked haggard and almost as white as her lab coat.

"Eating lasagna," House said.

Cameron was a little more informative. "We're visiting Wilson."

"I noticed you haven't visited him since he's been here." House took the last bite and tried to scrape sauce and cheese from the sides of the container.

"How would you know?" Cuddy sneered at him.

"I've been here for several days, watching him with Jessica. She would have told me if you ever stopped in when I wasn't there."

Cameron put her hand on his elbow and flashed an 'ignore him' smirk. "Dr. Cuddy, were you injured in the explosion?"

"Only superficially." Cuddy focused on Cameron. "Are you here to see Wilson, too, or are you here to keep House from deciding to stay?"

"Wilson, of course." Cameron grinned. "House has no intention of staying. You saw that he and I have a life in Shelby, a much better life than we ever had here."

Cuddy met her grin with a snarl. "A doctor of House's caliber belongs in a world-class hospital."

"I am at a world-class hospital," he said. "It just happens to be in Snow Hill, Maryland."

Cameron cleaned up from House's snack, putting the container back in the bag so she could return it to House's team. "It's been...nice running into you, Dr. Cuddy, but we have to go. Wilson began to wake up before we left him, and now we have to get back to see how he's doing." She and House left Cuddy staring after them.

Neither said anything about their encounter with Cuddy as they walked to the nurses station to inquire about Anthony Kenner.

The nurse checked the computer. "He was released this morning."

Cameron thanked her for the information and they continued on to Wilson's room. Jessica was talking to Wilson as Peters examined him.

Peters didn't look up until he'd finished. "Ah, Dr. House. Looks like our surgery has helped your friend."

Cameron approached him with a hand outstretched. "Dr. Peters, thank you so much for all you've done for Wilson."

"And you are?"

"Dr. Allison Cameron. A friend of Wilson's. I used to work at PPTH but left a couple of years ago."

"Cameron runs the clinic in Shelby," Jessica said.

Peters studied her. "I think I heard of you."

Cameron glanced at House, then shifted her gaze back to the neurosurgeon. "You have?"

"You know how small the medical community is, especially in a town like Princeton. Didn't you work for House at one time?"

She nodded.

"But you don't work together anymore, right?"

"No. He heads a department at the hospital in Snow Hill, about twenty-five miles away."

"Cameron's an infectious disease doctor." Wilson's voice rasped but drew everyone's eyes his way.

Cameron approached him. "Wilson." She beamed.

But House pushed it. "What else do you remember?"

Wilson shook his head. "Bits and pieces."

"I've had to tell him a few things besides what he heard while we tried to talk to him," Jessica said. She looked sheepish. "Shouldn't I?"

"No, that's alright. It might jog his memory." Peters shone a light in Wilson's eyes. "Follow the light with your eyes." He checked his peripheral vision and his response to the light going off and on again. "Your eyes are working well." He turned to the others. "I'll leave for now, but I'll be checking back in an hour or so."

"So, Dr. Peters operated on me?" Wilson asked after he left.

"Yeah."

"House assisted." Cameron smiled.

Wilson stared at his friend. "You're not a surgeon."

"No, but I've operated in the past."

"Wilson, do you have any pain?" Cameron glanced at the monitors. "Your vitals are good."

"My head hurts a little." Wilson reached behind to the back of his head, his fingers touching the bandage there.

House nodded. "You had a couple of stitches. They're healing. Some of what you feel is a residual pain from the initial injury."

Wilson closed his eyes but immediately opened them again. "I remember a loud noise. It was the explosion, wasn't it?"

This time Cameron nodded.

"PPTH." Wilson leaned back into his pillow. "What happened?"

"There was an explosion in the basement, destroyed maybe half of the hospital and damaged most of the rest," House said.

"Were you talking about that earlier?" Wilson rubbed his forehead. "I think I caught snatches of the conversation, but I couldn't be sure whether it was a dream or real."

"It was real alright. The police are investigating. They think it was deliberate and have a suspect, but she's missing. All the injured were brought here."

Wilson pointed to the bed. "To Princeton General."

"Yes." House grimaced. "The one and only. All of the uninjured doctors asked to help out with the large influx of patients, too."

"Does that mean your team is here? I assume they weren't hurt."

House nodded. "Foreman sustained minor injuries but he's up and running again, back to his former delightful self."

"Cuddy?"

"Our former major general is here too. Matter of fact, Cameron and I had a run in with her a few minutes ago." He turned as the door opened. "Speak of the devil."

"House told me that you were recovering from your injuries and surgery." She ignored the others, focused on Wilson.

Wilson looked at her. "I'm surprised you took the time to visit."

"James, you know I'm concerned about you."

"Concerned he might sue the hospital, no doubt," House said.

She ignored him. "Peters is an excellent surgeon."

House rolled his eyes, but Cameron changed the subject. "Dr. Cuddy, I don't think you met Jessica when you were in Shelby a few months ago. Jessica, this is Dr. Cuddy."

Jessica held out a hand. "James has talked about you."

"So diplomatic," House murmured.

Cuddy shook Jessica's hand without asking who Jessica was or what her relationship with Wilson might be. "Well, I just wanted to stop by and see how you're doing." Without another word, she turned and walked out.

"I think we shamed her into that visit," Cameron said.

Wilson shrugged. "I'm glad you did. It reminded me that I was packing up to leave." He looked at Jessica. "Wasn't I? Whatever happened to my boxes?"

"They're still going through whatever they can find in the rubble. I expect they'll let people know where they can retrieve anything they find. That reminds me. I should call Cullen and let him know that Anthony was released this morning." Cameron took out her phone and walked away from House, Wilson and Jessica.

The woman who answered connected her to the police detective. "Dr. Cameron, yes, I was informed that he was released. I have some questions for him, but I'll wait until he's settled at home."

"Are there any further developments?"

"Just one. Sheila Murphy was found, or rather her body was, under the debris that our forensic team is combing through."


	27. Chapter 27

Here's this week's chapter. I'll be out of town and won't return until late Monday the 18th, so next week's chapter will be late.

Sorry, Pyewacket – I promised some Mum's smut light, but that will have to wait until next chapter.

And the rest of your, if you're not reading Pyewacket's latest The Power of Love, I think you'll enjoy it.

 **Chapter 27.**

Cameron told the others the news about Sheila Murphy, then continued to speak to the detective. "How awful, but that leaves you without a suspect in the case."

"Unfortunately you're correct. That's one of the reasons I want to talk to Anthony Kenner." Cullen sounded frustrated.

"My friend wondered when he'd be able to get his belongings back." She glanced at Wilson and smiled.

"He was packing them up when the explosion occurred."

"We won't be able to release anything until we've gone through it all, I'm afraid."

"So I should tell him it'll be a while?"

"Yes. Let me know if you hear anything else from the people who worked at PPTH."

"Will do." She closed the connection. "He's planning to talk to Anthony, see whether that gives him another lead." She turned again to Wilson. "He also said nothing will be released until they've examined it all."

Wilson nodded. "That's what I was afraid of."

"So Sheila Murphy's dead?" House frowned. "Why am I not surprised. It was too neat that she was missing after the explosion."

Jessica shook her head. "I still don't understand why anyone would want to blow up the hospital."

"So it wasn't an accident?" Wilson's eyes narrowed.

Cameron realized they hadn't told him enough about what happened. "The police believe it was intentional. That's why they're being so careful to go through the debris. They found Sheila's body under some of it."

"Was anyone else killed?" Wilson asked.

"No." House went to the window and looked out. "But because the police and insurance agents will take their time to examine what's left of that part of the building, it'll be a while before they can rebuild."

"James, I hope this doesn't mean you'll rethink leaving." Jessica pressed her lips together. "In fact, House told me several of the doctors are looking for other positions."

Wilson frowned. "What a mess."

House smirked at him. "You can say that again."

"What a mess."

Cameron and Jessica laughed. "I think House misses having you as his straight man," Cameron said.

"You're not going to stick around until they find out who dunnit, are you?" Wilson focused on House.

Cameron watched House's face, almost afraid he would say he was staying. She wanted to as much as he did, but they had a life back in Maryland. When House didn't answer, her heart constricted. "Wilson, we have some photos of our house. You wouldn't believe how far along Will's people are, considering all that's happened." Maybe that would refocus House on where they should be. She found the pictures on her phone and showed them to Wilson and Jessica.

"When do you think you'll be able to move in?" she wanted to know.

"They still have to work on the inside, but maybe by November."

"I'll stay here until Wilson's back on his feet," House finally said. "Cameron can go back on Sunday so Simpson can rejoin my team and take care of our patient."

"My brother's covering for you this weekend?" Jessica asked.

Cameron nodded, but her eyes were still focused on House and she frowned.

"House, you don't have to stay. I'm here with James." Jessica probably sensed the tension that was developing between House and Cameron.

Cameron was well aware that House had many reasons to want to stay and had picked the one most likely to be acceptable to her. Perhaps if the police finished their investigation over the weekend he'd have one less reason, but that was a big if with little chance of coming true. Unless she helped it along.

Wilson's dinner was delivered to the room. House crinkled his nose at the mystery meat and runny mashed potatoes under the silver dome. "And here I thought this was a cordon bleu restaurant. Not that the food they serve downstairs is much better." He turned to Cameron. "Let's go. Maybe they'll surprise us tonight."

She stared at him. "You go ahead. I have a phone call to make."

He shrugged and left.

"Jessica, are you staying here?" Cameron asked before she followed.

Jessica nodded.

"What can I bring you when I come back?"

"Just some yogurt and an apple."

Cameron nodded and exited the room. House was no longer waiting by the elevators. Before she took one down, she took out her phone and called Cullen. "Detective, it's Dr. Cameron."

"Oh, hello doctor. What can I do for you?"

"Actually, I'm offering to do some things for you." She continued while she had the chance. "Have you visited Anthony yet?"

"No."

"Suppose I visit him instead. I can also ask some of the PPTH doctors questions that they might not answer for you." She hoped he'd agree.

"That could help." Cullen paused. "Why don't you start with Anthony Kenner and let me know what you find out?"

"I'll do that this evening."

"Thanks, Dr. Cameron."

She ended the connection and took the elevator to the ground floor. House was already seated at a table with a tray of food in front of him. She'd given up wondering long before about how he could eat after the huge snack he'd had just an hour earlier. The line for food was short, she got on it, and selected what was purported to be vegetable beef soup and a small salad.

House looked up from his food when she sat. "So, what are we doing for Cullen tonight?"

Cameron smiled. "Visit Anthony Kenner and ask about the explosion." The soup tasted of vegetables but she couldn't find any meat.

"That's all? Doesn't he want you to question the doctors?"

She chuckled. "If I get answers from Anthony, he might give me permission to do that."

House nodded. "Cops are the same everywhere. They think they're the only ones who can investigate. Cameron, what if we don't help Cullen solve this by Sunday? Could you really leave?"

"I came to see Wilson and hopefully watch him recover enough to feel I can leave again." She stabbed a piece of lettuce.

"Keep telling yourself that when we're questioning Kenner tonight." He dropped his fork on his empty plate. "I'm getting some pie. Want a piece?"

"You're paying?" She purposely made her voice sound surprised.

He walked off without replying. It wasn't long before he was back with two pieces of pie.

Once they finished eating, they returned to Wilson's room with food for Jessica.

"Thanks." She grinned. "James and I have been talking about how soon he can go home. Of course, the doctors haven't said anything about it yet."

"It won't be before Monday at the earliest." House smiled. "If you two lovebirds are okay, we'll be heading out. Cameron had a long drive up here today."

"Sure. We understand. See you tomorrow." Jessica smiled back at them.

"Keep up the progress, Wilson." Cameron pecked him on the cheek before she and House left. As they waited for the elevator again, she asked, "You don't have your old apartment anymore. Where are you staying?" She hadn't wondered about that before, not even during their late night telephone conversations.

"At Wilson's. It seemed appropriate."

She nodded. "Should I leave my car here?"

"Might as well. We'll just collect your suitcase, then head over there."

"But first we visit Anthony." They walked to the parking lot and stopped in front of her car.

He grinned. "Sleuthing before sex."

"House, do you have to be so crude?"

"If you think that's crude..." He kissed her in the parking lot with lots of tongue.

When they separated, she said, "Let's get this sleuthing over with." She extracted her suitcase from her trunk and wheeled it over to House's car to stow in his trunk.

"What's the address?" he asked as they got in and fastened their seat belts.

"Cullen said he lives at 516 Howard Street, apartment 3B."

"Hope it's not a walk-up." House rubbed his leg but it hadn't hurt since Wilson opened his eyes.

They found the building and were able to park halfway down the block. It was an old brick apartment house, four stories tall, in fairly good condition. They pushed the button for 3B in the entryway and a voice answered, "Who's there?"

"A couple of doctors to see Anthony," Cameron replied. A buzzer sounded and the door to the vestibule opened. The rickety elevator deposited them on the third floor. They found apartment 3B and rang the bell.

An older woman in a worn housedress from the seventies opened it a crack. "You the doctors?" She smoothed her wispy gray-blond hair.

"Yes. Tell Anthony it's Dr. Cameron who used to work at PPTH. He'll remember me."

"And him?" The woman indicated House with her chin.

"Dr. House." House flashed a smile. "Anthony should remember me, too."

"Just a sec." The woman turned away without closing the door or inviting them in. She called through a doorway, "Anthony, you got visitors. Two doctors. Man and woman. You wanna see them?" She returned to the door and opened it wider. "You can see him, but not too long. He's still recovering."

Cameron nodded. "Thank you."

Anthony was propped up in bed with a pile of pillows, his once broad form covered with a chenille bedspread and probably a bunch of blankets. "Don't mind my grandmother. She tends to coddle me."

"Like an egg." House stopped there.

"Dr. Cameron, I haven't see you in quite some time. Guess you lucked out, not being at the hospital when all this came down."

"Yes, we drove up after we heard what happened to see if we could help. We had so many friends still at PPTH." It only took two steps for Cameron to walk close to the bed

"Dr. House, I heard your pal Dr. Wilson was badly hurt. How is he?"

"Recovering, although not as far along as you, considering you were much nearer the blast."

"He was always a good guy." Anthony smiled. "Guess I was lucky that I was near the elevator, at the other end of the basement from the explosion. Do they know what caused it? I hope it wasn't all that stuff we kept down there."

"They're still clearing out the debris." Cameron studied his face. "The police did find a dead body. I don't know whether I can tell you this, since they haven't released her name yet..."

Anthony pulled himself forward, frowning suddenly. "Sheila? Sheila's dead?" He squeezed his eyes shut. "No! It can't be. But she's the only woman who worked down there since they relocated the cleaning people to the first floor." He put a hand over his mouth as tears coursed down his face.

"Were you close to Sheila?" Cameron asked.

He seemed to recover his composure. "Yeah. We were friends. Used to go for beers after work sometimes, ya know?" He choked out the last, couldn't go on.

"What about Butler, the guy who pulled you out?"

Cameron turned to House. Why had he asked that question?

"What about him? He's the electrician. They told me he pulled me out, but I don't remember that part."

"Was he friends with Sheila?" House asked.

Anthony made a choking sound, like he was cutting off a laugh. "Yeah. They used to be close, ya know? They went out together up until about four, five months ago."

"So he wouldn't cry to learn she was dead?"

Cameron could tell that House had an idea in his head, but she wasn't sure what it was.

"After they broke up, they weren't on the best terms, you might say." Anthony shook his head. "I can't believe she's gone."

"Well, we won't ask you any more questions," Cameron said. Clearly, he didn't remember what happened during and immediately after the explosion. She wanted to ask House what he'd been thinking of when he questioned Anthony. "Hope you continue to recover. Thanks for talking with us."

"No problem. It gets kinda lonely here. Guess I got used to the nurses coming in and out of my room at the hospital. My grandmother only comes in to fuss over me." He smiled at them. "Come back some time, okay?"

"Sure."

They left his room, said their good-byes to his grandmother and headed out. When they reached the car, Cameron asked, "Why did you want to know about Danny's relationship with Sheila?"

He shook his head. "Just a crazy theory I have."

She narrowed her eyes at him and got into the car. During the drive to Wilson's place she pondered about the significance of House's questions. Her face cleared up as it hit her and she leaned back in her seat and frowned. It wasn't that crazy an idea after all, only sick.

They parked in the garage under Wilson's building and retrieved Cameron's suitcase. She wheeled it to the elevator and they took that up to his apartment.

"I'm using the guest room." House unlocked the door and stepped inside. "It's the one on the right, down the hall." He went to the kitchen, as she took her things to the room he'd indicated.

She returned quickly. "I'll unpack later." She took the glass of wine he handed her.

"Are you really tired?" he asked, cupping her cheek in his hand and kissing her.

She smiled. "Not so tired to wait to make up for lost time."

"Good answer." He grinned.


	28. Chapter 28

We arrived home a couple of days ago, and I finally finished the next chapter today. Hope you enjoy.

 **Chapter 28.**

They sat side-by-side on the sofa. She leaned toward him. "This is much more comfortable than ours."

"But it doesn't open up." He faked a frown.

She opened her eyes wide as if in alarm. "Whatever shall we do?"

He caught her mouth with his lips, then forced it open.

Slowly they undressed each other. Luckily neither was wearing much. She stood so he could help her out of her slacks and then didn't sit down again. House slipped a finger under the elastic around her hips and slid down her silky red panties. She turned, and he stood, too, and unhooked her bra then deposited gentle kisses on each shoulder and along her collarbone. When she faced him again, he kissed each nipple and laved it with his tongue.

She removed his briefs and caressed his hips with her palms.

Before things got much further, he took her hand in his and they walked to the guest room. Her suitcase sat in a corner out of the way. He tugged off the bedclothes and gently pushed her onto the bottom sheet.

Their hands roamed again, caressing, coaxing, enticing, exciting. "House I missed you, I missed this. Don't ever stay away from me again."

"Stop talking."

But before he prevented her from speaking, she said, "Take me now." That was all she had to say.

"My pleasure." His eyes blazed with passion.

They'd done this so many times before, yet each time felt like the first, both familiar and beyond any expectations. Skin touched skin. Shivers and tingles spreading through them as their bodies heated up along with the ratcheted excitement, the pleasure, the rapture.

They finally joined, developed a rhythm, soaring together as always, yet reaching new heights of ecstasy. Racing hearts, unquenchable longing finally sated. Unable to speak, Cameron still thought, _if this is what happens when we're apart for a few days, maybe it's not such a bad thing_. But then again, she knew how hard it had been.

Making that moment last as long as possible, they slowly came back to earth. She snuggled against him, not wanting to move, to lose that closeness. Legs remained tangled, while syncopated heartbeats and breathing slowed to almost normal.

He kissed the top of her head, then an ear. "Guess that was what you wanted."

"You too, if I'm not mistaken." Her heart felt light, as if it could float away.

In the morning, they were both ready for another round. This time they took it slower, savoring each touch, each caress, no longer so frantic. But before long, kisses became more urgent, leading to more stroking than caressing, more rubbing than touching. House whispered words he probably never said before, and they were met by responding murmurs from Cameron. Fingers were followed by lips and tongues.

Their efforts grew wilder as searing kisses sent shivers through their most sensitive spots. Cameron's screams alternated with purrs and then she shouted his name. House grinned.

But eventually, life had to intrude. They rose together, took turns using the bathroom, then showered together before dressing for the day in jeans and t-shirts. House scrounged in the refrigerator for something for breakfast, settling for leftover Chinese food, while Cameron made them both coffee.

They drove to the hospital, eager to see how a new day found Wilson, but were greeted by a distraught Jessica and an empty hospital bed. All the pleasurable feeling evaporated in an instant.

"He seemed so fine, but then about ten last night, his speech began to slur and his eyes closed. He still hasn't woken this morning. The doctor's already been in, the young one. They've called Peters since he rarely comes in on Saturdays." She shook her head. "The one who examined him said it's probably a slight relapse, but he couldn't be certain of anything without some tests. They've taken him for a CAT scan." She glanced at her watch. "About half an hour ago."

Cameron took her hands, then slipped an arm around Jessica's shoulders. "It could be another hour, maybe more. Have you had any breakfast?" She watched Jessica's slight head shake "At least come down to the cafeteria with us for some coffee."

"Not great coffee," House warned.

"I want to be here when James returns." Jessica pulled back.

"We won't be long, don't worry. You'll be here." Cameron gently dragged her toward the door. "We'll be gone fifteen minutes, twenty tops."

Reluctantly, she went with them.

When they reached the cafeteria, Cameron left her sitting at a table with House and went to get coffee for each of them, some eggs and toast for Jessica, and a cheese Danish for House.

Jessica picked at her food, although she drank the coffee.

House finished her eggs and toast, of course.

They returned to the still empty room in twenty minutes. Almost an hour later, Edwards, who'd first agreed with House's desire to have Peters consult, wheeled Wilson in. With the help of an orderly, he shifted the patient onto the bed. "Peters will be here soon. He's examining the results of the scan."

"And?" House stared at him. "Post-concussion syndrome?"

"Let's wait until Dr. Peters tells us what he thinks." Dr. Edwards took one more expressionless look at Wilson and then left.

While they waited for Peters, Cameron made a delayed call to Detective Cullen. She told him what Anthony said, but without the conclusion she and House had inferred about Sheila's death. He could decide for himself whether he suspected Danny, the electrician who'd pulled Anthony from the wreckage, of destroying the hospital to mask killing his former girlfriend.

House and Jessica spoke in hushed tones, and House listened with one ear to what Cameron said on the phone.

"What did you mean by post-concussion syndrome?" Jessica asked.

House shrugged. "Sometimes after a head injury, the patient continues to have problems with concentrating and with memory. In Wilson's case, he's just sleeping again. The good thing is he's not having convulsions and when he was awake yesterday, his speech wasn't slurred."

"So this is normal?"

"It happens. Unless the scan shows something wrong, I wouldn't worry about it." Whether he'd take his own advice was another story.

Cameron finished with Cullen and reported, "He's taking Anthony's information about Danny and Sheila quite seriously."

"Good." House smiled slightly.

"What about them? I don't understand." Jessica blinked.

"The man who rescued Anthony was seeing the woman who died, but they broke up a few months ago," Cameron explained. "He might have both motive and opportunity to have caused the explosion."

"Don't forget, he's an electrician and would know how to rig something like that," House pointed out.

Cameron's gaze drifted to Wilson, but he hadn't moved. "I'm going to find Peters."

"Edwards is already watching for him."

But House couldn't dissuade Cameron from heading for the nurses station to ask where Peters was. Instead, she ran into Chase there.

"I heard you were here," the young blond doctor smirked. "Couldn't keep away?"

"I'm here to see Wilson." She didn't have to explain herself to him.

Chase hesitated. "How is he?"

"That's what I'm out here trying to find out."

Chase nodded. "Guess you finally got what you wanted all along, the big guy's attention."

"Chase, I don't have time for your jealousy." She sighed and started to turn away.

"But it's true, isn't it? You and House are together?"

She smiled. "Yes, we are." She was tempted to cross her arms, but decided she had nothing to defend.

Peters and Edwards approached, so she had a good reason to turn from Chase. "What did the scans show?"

"There's no additional damage. He's just taking longer to recover from post-concussion symptoms." Peters waved a folder. "I'm convinced that a bit more patience is all we need."

Chase drifted away, and so did Edwards. Cameron and Peters entered Wilson's room. Peters repeated what he'd told Cameron.

"But how much longer?" Jessica cried. "He was awake and now he isn't again."

"Your friends can tell you the symptoms can persist for days, weeks, even months." he sighed. "We know Dr. Wilson was alert the last time he was awake. That's the best sign."

Jessica didn't appear convinced. Her phone rang but she was too distracted to answer it. She finally looked at the caller ID as the sound died. "Bart."

"Why don't you call him back?" Cameron suggested. "He and the rest of House's team are probably anxious to hear the latest."

Jess made the call, and told her brother, "There's nothing to report. James still hasn't woken again." She turned to Cameron. "He says everything's been quiet at the clinic."

Cameron hadn't really thought about it after she left for New Jersey. "Tell him I'm glad he volunteered to cover for me this weekend."

As Jessica ended the call, a commotion in the hallway penetrated to the room. The door burst open and a very angry doctor came in.

"Dr. Fielding, I didn't call you about this case." Peters glared at the intruder.

House had told Cameron about his earlier run in with the doctor who headed the trauma unit.

"If you'd called me in on this case sooner, Dr. Wilson would be well on his way to a complete recovery by now," Peters went on.

"I don't answer to you, Peters. I'd received reports that Dr. Wilson's condition had deteriorated. No doubt your surgery worsened the situation." Fielding looked like he wanted nothing more than to take Peters down a peg.

Peters shook his head. "If his condition had deteriorated, we wouldn't be standing around here, talking about releasing him."

That was news to Cameron. She hoped Peters meant it, although he hadn't said anything earlier.

"Yeah, he has no intention of spending another night in your crummy trauma department bed." House had to have his say.

Fielding looked from one of them to the others, but finding no encouragement, he left.

Once he was out of earshot, Jessica asked, "Do you really intend to discharge James?"

"Perhaps after one more night, but he can spend that in my department. As the wounded from PPTH have been released, we have more beds available. I'll make the arrangements to have him transferred as soon as I leave here."

"Thank you, Dr. Peters." Cameron smiled at him.

"I always enjoy sticking it to Fielding, the pompous a..." He looked at the two women and refrained from using the word.

Fifteen minutes after Peters left, two orderlies entered with a gurney to move Wilson. House, Cameron and Jessica followed them to the service elevator that took them up to the fifth floor. There, the pace of doctors, nurses and orderlies going about their work was much slower. The room they took Wilson to had a better view of the town and, in the distance, the university.

The minute the orderlies deposited Wilson in the bed, his eyes opened. "Where am I?"

Jessica brushed a hand across his furrowed forehead. "They moved you to a room in another department so the head of the trauma department would leave you alone."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Who are you?"

Jessica moaned. "James, it's me. Jessica."

He shook his head, then rubbed the temples as his gaze scanned the room. "House? What are you doing here? What am I doing here?"

"You had a head injury. We're at Princeton General." House swallowed. "Do you remember what happened?"

"Happened? You left." Then he seemed to catch sight of someone else. "Cameron? What...why…?"

Cameron walked closer. "Jimmy, House and I came when we heard you'd been hurt."

Wilson turned back to House. "Did you say Princeton General? Why not PPTH?"

House blew out some air through closed lips. "Because PPTH blew up."


	29. Chapter 29

Last weekend I attended a literacy event, autographing and selling copies of The Crimson Orb. But I also had time to work on this next chapter.

I've noticed some new readers for my fanfiction here, and that's great.

Thanks everyone for reading.

 **Chapter 29.**

Cameron left Wilson's room to find Peters and bring him up to date on Wilson's confused condition. Loss of memory wasn't unusual with a concussion, but he'd been clearer and seemed to remember more the last time he woke.

"He doesn't recognize his girlfriend, and he has no recollection of what's happened recently." She shook her head. "In fact, probably nothing for the last three or four months. He thinks House left PPTH recently, but it was really back in June."

Peters returned to the room with her. House and Jessica stood on either side of the bed. Someone had cranked it up, so Wilson sat leaning against his pillows. He stared at Peters with no sign of recognition.

"Dr. Wilson, I'm Dr. Peters. I operated on you a few days ago with help from your friend House. You seem to have forgotten all of that, but there's no reason to force the memories. Just let them come." Peters checked Wilson's vitals and examined his eyes. "There's no reason you shouldn't make a complete recovery."

"And then what? From what House says, PPTH is gone." He didn't sound as if he believed that was possible.

House shrugged. "You were leaving anyway."

Wilson's eyes were slits. "I was? Why would I do that?"

"Because you'd seen there was life after PPTH, that once you escaped the toxic environment, your life could be so much better." Cameron tried to smile. "With Jessica." She indicated the young woman next to her.

Wilson shook his head. "I don't even know her."

"You did." House grimaced. "It'll come back to you, just give it time."

Wilson pointed to Peters. "He said he operated on my head and you were there?"

"Peters relieved the pressure caused by a head injury you sustained when the hospital blew." House pressed his lips together, then blew out some air. "The first time you woke up, you were lucid, and your memories, except for the explosion, were intact. Those memories are still there, lurking in your brain somewhere. Give 'em a chance."

Peters nodded. "Dr. Wilson, House is right. We did a scan earlier today that showed no further damage. In fact, I was planning on releasing you in the morning."

Wilson nodded slowly. "Cameron, I trust you to tell me the truth. Is everything House said true?"

"Yes. You were injured when PPTH exploded, and Peters operated with House assisting. You've known Jessica for a couple of months, met her in Shelby, Maryland where House and I live. Her brother is on House's team at a hospital in Snow Hill. After a couple of visits to us, you realized you, too, would be better off away from Princeton and had started to look for a position elsewhere."

Wilson sighed. "That's a lot to take in."

"Trust me, it's all true," Cameron said. "We'll all help you while you recover your memories."

Wilson studied Jessica. Maybe it was the look of concern in her eyes, or what everyone told him, but he smiled at her. "Have you been here all the time I was out of it?"

"She rarely left your side," Cameron said.

"I was so worried, still am. James, like Allison said, we'll get through this together."

"I have another patient to see," Peters said. "I'll be back later, but meanwhile don't try too hard to remember anything."

"So, what's the last thing you remember?" House asked Wilson.

Wilson rubbed his forehead. "You leaving PPTH, saying you were never coming back."

House nodded. "I never did."

"Cameron, how did he find you?"

She chuckled. "He didn't really. It was pure accident. He'd stopped in Shelby for a meal, helped someone at the diner, and then caught a glimpse of me at the clinic next door. I run it."

"And he remained in that town? What did you call it? Shelly?"

"Shelby. It's in Maryland, south of Baltimore and Salisbury, about the middle of the DelMarVa peninsular."

"And you found a position there, too, House?"

"I started a diagnostics department at the hospital in Snow Hill, about twenty minutes south of Shelby. Got a crack team." He turned to Jessica. "Don't ever tell your brother or the others I said that."

She smiled.

"Jessica's a vet," Cameron threw in.

"Afghanistan?"

The others laughed. "She meant a veterinarian. I work part-time for the veterinarian in Shelby, and help out at an antique store in town."

Wilson studied her. "And we're dating?" His smile indicated he wasn't unhappy about that.

House rolled his eyes. "The two of you were planning to run off together without any idea where you'd end up."

"Wilson, we shouldn't be planting memories in your head that you can't access on your own. I'm hoping, though, that something we say will trigger a real memory." Cameron glanced at House. "Maybe we should go, let Wilson get some rest."

"He's had enough rest for all of us put together."

"House, you and I both know he needs it for his brain to heal." She turned to Wilson. "Can we bring you anything from the cafeteria?"

"Or somewhere else?" House grimaced. "Some General Tsao's from Wong's or better yet, pizza from Mama Leone's?"

Wilson guffawed. "So you can eat what I don't?"

"He's had it up to here with the cafeteria food." Cameron held a hand over her head.

"Make it Chinese, especially if you're paying."

Cameron tugged at House's sleeve. "We'll be back."

The small restaurant occupied a spot at the end of a strip mall about a mile from Princeton General. House found an empty parking space directly in front of it. Twenty minutes later they emerged carrying three bags of Chinese food, enough for an army, and perhaps even enough for House and Wilson.

"I hope he slowly regains his memory." Cameron put the two bags she carried in the trunk, which immediately filled with the fragrant odors.

House insisted on placing his bag between them on the car's console. It interfered with the operation of the shift lever, but he could reach in and extract an egg roll before he started the car.

"House, how do you expect to drive while you eat?"

"Easy." He proceeded to demonstrate his ability to multitask, as long as one of those was munching on some food. He'd gone through the egg roll and a few pot stickers before they arrived back in the hospital parking lot.

That didn't stop him from digging in along with everyone else when they were back in Wilson's room.

Wilson pointed to the containers they placed on the movable tray in front of him with his plastic fork. "This reminds me of the time we pigged out on similar food for Christmas in your apartment one year."

"We did that a few times. Can you be more specific?"

Wilson laughed. "Had to be three years ago. Maybe." He shook his head. "When did you actually leave? How long ago?"

House glanced at Cameron. "I left about three months back."

"So it's September now?"

House nodded. "Late September."

"Why can't I remember the summer?" Wilson shut his eyes, then opened them again. "I can understand the time around the explosion, but not three months worth of living."

Jessica frowned. "Maybe you don't want to remember. Maybe you're blocking out meeting me."

"Nonsense." House shook his head. "Meeting you wasn't the only thing that happened to him last summer. There was the lasagna contest, for one."

"How could anyone forget that." Cameron smirked. "The truth is, we still know so little about the brain, how synapses form, how they can be damaged or even hidden from our consciousness."

House narrowed his eyes at her. "Oh, so now you're a neurologist?"

"I'm not. But if his neurosurgeon can't explain what happened..." she trailed off. "Jessica, my point is, the recent memory loss has nothing to do with you. You said earlier you were willing to help Wilson get through this."

"Of course I am."

"Then the first thing we have to do is get him home, make him more comfortable, allow him to recover, and not push it."

Jessica seemed to relax. "Dr. Peters said he could go home tomorrow."

"Right. House and I will get his condo ready for him tonight."

"But that brings up the question of where I'll stay." Jessica looked at Wilson, who hadn't said a word.

House shrugged. "There's always the couch."

"But I have a guest room." Wilson finally spoke.

"Which Cameron and I are using."

"You are?"

"Where else would we stay?"

Wilson frowned.

"We can get a hotel room, House, and let Jessica have the guest bedroom."

"Not when we've got that place just the way we want it."

Cameron thought back to how they'd left the bed that morning. "Right."

"The couch will be fine," Jessica said.

"So that's settled." Cameron collected the empty food containers and stuffed them in the paper bags that held them. "I'm going to get rid of all of this."

"I'll come with you." House made no effort to carry anything, but once they were out in the hall he asked, "Are you sure you want to continue to stay at Wilson's once he comes home?"

"Do you think it'll be awkward with Jessica there? It won't be for long. We're still going home by Monday. In fact, if he's released tomorrow, we might not even be there tomorrow night."

House didn't answer.

"House, you haven't changed your mind have you?" They'd reached the lounge, and Cameron stuffed the trash she carried into the receptacle so she could face him with her hands on her hips.

He looked everywhere but at her.

"You have. When were you planning on telling me?" Her voice became shriller and shriller. "As I packed to leave?"

"You haven't really unpacked."

"You're avoiding my question."

"Did you ask a question?"

"Alright, suit yourself. Wilson may have some memory loss but he's recovered enough that I feel comfortable leaving. If you want to stay, then stay. I won't stop you." Her arms had assumed the crossed position they took all too often when dealing with House. She turned and stomped back to Wilson's room.

House followed at a slower pace, deep in thought.

Jessica stared at Cameron as she burst back into the room. "What's wrong?"

There was no need to involve Jessica in their petty squabbles. Cameron deflated. "Nothing. But I think I'll leave tomorrow after we get Wilson settled at home. Then you'll have the place all to yourselves. And House."

Jessica's gaze shifted to House as he limped in. "You're staying? You really don't have to, you know."

House stared at Cameron. "I'm not only staying for Wilson."

Cameron should have known. Then again, was he implying that she should stay too? "The explosion and whoever caused it, right? I think the police have that well in hand, House. You don't have anything else to contribute, and neither do I."

"I thought Cullen wanted you to talk to more of the survivors of the blast. Get them to tell you things they won't tell him. You could start with Jimmy here, but he doesn't remember anything about it."

She shook her head. "I'm not biting on your bait. I have one more day here. That should be plenty."

Jessica smiled. "Cameron, I'm glad you came, even for a couple of days. I bet House is too."

"What about me?" Wilson asked. "Cameron, you've always been a good friend and I'm glad you're here. I don't know what House was talking about just now, but if you've been helping in the investigation of the explosion that put me in this place, I'll thank you for that, too."

"Touching." Sarcasm dripped from House's tongue.

Cameron's phone vibrated. She glanced at the caller ID. "I'll take this in the hall."

House flashed a quizzical look.

Cameron wasn't ready to share with him until she spoke to Cullen. "Detective, what can I do for you?"

"I need you to talk to the administrator from PPTH."

"Dr. Cuddy? What would she know?" She wasn't Cameron's favorite person, but was he really implying she'd been involved in the explosion? Of her own hospital?


	30. Chapter 30

Thanks everyone for reading and for commenting.

 **Chapter 30.**

"Dr. Cuddy and I aren't on the best terms," Cameron told the cop. "The staff might talk freely to me, but I doubt she would."

"We've been going through some of the hospital financial records, and it seems she might have been skimming off the top." Cullen paused. "She might not talk freely about that to anyone, but maybe she'd say something to you that we can use."

"You think absconding with funds gives her a motive to blow up her own hospital?"

"We're still investigating all angles here. Your information about the electrician seems sound, and we're following through on that too, but this is the kind of case where we have to keep an open mind."

Cameron sighed. "I'll talk to Cuddy and let you know whether she says anything incriminating, but somehow I doubt she's your man. Or woman." As she ended the call, she stared into space, trying to process what he'd said. Why would Cuddy need to take money that should belong to the hospital? And even if she had, why would she stoop to blowing up the hospital to cover her misdeeds? As much as she disliked the woman, Cameron couldn't believe it.

Rather than return to Wilson's room, she went to find Cuddy. Cameron didn't even know where they had her working, but she started with the last place she'd seen her, the lounge. The room was empty.

She checked the time, three thirty. Cuddy could be anywhere. Cameron walked back toward Wilson's room so deep in thought that she passed Foreman without seeing him.

"Cameron?"

She turned. "Foreman." One thing was foremost on her mind. "Have you seen Dr. Cuddy?"

His eyes narrowed. "Why are you looking for her?"

She tried to think of some reasonable reason. "I, uh, I wanted to apologize. When I saw her earlier, I was very rude to her."

"She's probably in the clinic on the first floor."

Cameron laughed. Serves her right. "Thanks, Foreman. Glad to see you've recovered from your injuries."

He nodded. "How's Wilson doing?"

"He has some memory loss, but I believe he'll go home tomorrow." She walked towards the elevator feeling Foreman's eyes on her. She easily found the clinic, even busier than the one at PPTH usually was. Cuddy emerged from one of the examination rooms and called the next patient. No way Cameron would be able to talk to her for a while. She'd have to return later and try to catch her before she left for the day.

Returning to Wilson's room, she found that nothing had changed. House frowned her way, but didn't say anything. She wondered what he'd think of Cullen's interest in Cuddy.

"Everything okay?" Jessica asked.

"Yes. I had to check on something for Cullen." Cameron glanced at House, whose expression had changed to one of anxious interest, but Cameron wasn't ready to disclose to Wilson and Jess what it was. In his current state, Wilson wouldn't be able to contribute anything.

"Peters was in for a few minutes. He confirmed James could go home in the morning," Jess said.

"Which means we should leave soon to get the condo ready for his return." House was halfway to the door.

Cameron shook her head. "I still have to ask a few more questions for Cullen before we can leave."

"Oh, good. I'll come with you." House opened the door.

"The person I have to talk to is currently busy." She debated whether House would be a help or a hindrance when she faced Cuddy. "I'll check again at four-thirty. Might as well have a seat," she told House.

He grimaced. "You're enjoying this, aren't you? Knowing something I don't?"

"It may be a first." She chuckled.

By this time, Wilson and Jessica were curious too.

Cameron made one of the faces she learned from House, one he used when he'd come to a distasteful conclusion. "Alright. Cullen wants me to talk to Cuddy. They found indications that she was skimming from the hospital's profits."

"It's a teaching hospital, not supposed to be exactly profitable." House seemed to be confused. "Any extra income is supposed to be plowed back into improving services."

"Cuddy?" Wilson shook his head. "No way."

Cameron shrugged. "I can't see her doing it either, but if it's true, he thinks it's a strong motive for causing the explosion."

"And he thinks she'll tell you she was absconding with funds from the hospital?" House scoffed. "You're one of the least likely people for her to confide in."

"I know. I pretty much told Cullen that, but he thinks that if I talk to her she might say something that he can use." She shook her head. "I don't have much hope that will happen, but I promised to try. She's currently tied up in the clinic."

House laughed. "This I have to see. Cuddy working in the clinic."

Cameron smirked. "I saw it with my own eyes, yet she seemed right at home there."

Wilson grinned. "Maybe all these years she thought you'd like being forced to work the clinic as her form of punishment."

"Then she knew me even less than I thought." House seemed amused. "I have to see this for myself." He returned to the door. "Coming?" he asked Cameron.

"You go ahead. I may join you in a few minutes." She waited for him to be gone. "Wilson, with your memory loss, you can't tell me what Cuddy's reaction was when you told her you were leaving, but do you remember what her attitude was when House left?" Cameron remembered how the administrator acted when she and Wilson came to Shelby. She obviously wanted House to come back and didn't understand why he'd begun to make a new life for himself in Maryland.

"She was angry. Disappointed. Maybe even crushed. For weeks she holed up in her office, barely speaking to anyone." Wilson rubbed his forehead. "One of the last things I remember was a bizarre demand she made to Foreman. She told him she was moving the diagnostics department to another set of rooms so she could make space for her new pet project, a department devoted to pain management."

"Maybe she thought that would bring House back." Cameron wondered whether Cuddy would admit that, though.

"Maybe. It didn't work, I guess."

"No it didn't."

"How is his pain?"

"He's developed ways to cope with it that seem to be working, a combination of oral and injected non-addictive medication, exercise and occasionally heat." Cameron had been pleased with how well it controlled his pain, so it no longer ruled his life. "I better find him before he says the wrong thing to Cuddy. That hasn't changed in the slightest."

She headed back to the clinic, where she found House in conversation with Hadley. Cameron relaxed.

"Thirteen says Cuddy started acting stranger than usual after Wilson handed her his resignation," he said, giving Cameron a knowing look. "Even stranger than after I left."

"What did she do?"

Hadley shrugged. "It wasn't unusual for her to fire her assistant. In the years I worked at PPTH she must have gone through at least eight. If she didn't fire them, they left after less than a month anyway. But what was unusual was when she threatened one for failing to close her office door, except it was already closed. And then Cuddy told the poor young man she'd make sure he didn't get another job in any hospital anywhere. He left the next day."

"We all know she can be irrational."

"So irrational that she demanded that she had to inspect every message received from another hospital even if it wasn't addressed to her? Or that she refused to allow any of the doctors to accept speaking engagements at conferences? Or that she'd shut herself up in her office for two hours every afternoon?" Hadley shook her head. "None of her actions were rational."

"What was the name of that assistant?" House asked.

Cameron wasn't surprised by his question. "Do you think he might have something to do with the explosion?"

"If you suspect him, what about every other employee who was fed up with Cuddy?" Hadley laughed. "The line would stretch from here to PPTH and back a few times."

Cuddy emerged from one of the rooms and seemed to catch sight of them. She came over. "Dr. Hadley has work to do. You two can catch up with her when her shift is over."

"I was looking for you," Cameron said. "Foreman told me you'd be here."

"I haven't stopped being a doctor, even with my hospital gone."

"It's not completely gone." House smirked. "Do you wish it was?"

"House, that hospital was my life." She turned to walk away.

"Dr. Cuddy, when you're finished for the day, might I have a word?" Cameron kept her voice neutral, although she had to shout to make sure Cuddy heard her.

"Why would you want to talk to her?" Hadley asked.

Cameron needed a believable reason. "I wanted to ask her about the PPTH staff hurt in the explosion."

"Sure you do." Hadley walked away.

"I guess I didn't convince her."

"With a lame excuse like that?" He rolled his eyes. "Of course not."

"I honestly don't know what to say to Cuddy, what to ask her. I mean, I can't just say, 'Did you steal money from the hospital?', can I?"

"She'd never expect it, but I guess that might be a bit much." He placed both hands on his cane and leaned toward her. "You'll think of something when the time comes."

"I hope so."

"Well, I'm going back to Wilson's room."

"Don't you want to wait with me?"

He shook his head. "I only came down here to see her in action in the clinic for myself." He grinned. "Now that I have, I can die."

"Oh, I hope not anytime soon." She chuckled.

"Of course not." He wiggled his fingers as he walked away.

She stared after him, knowing she was on her own with this task. She found a place against the wall, leaned against it and waited.

Forty-five minutes later, an exhausted-looking Cuddy came toward her. She frowned. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Cameron pursed her lips, then blurted. "Dr. Cuddy, how did you feel when House left PPTH?"

"Feel?"

"Were you upset? Happy? Disappointed? Angry?"

"I know what feelings are." Cuddy grimaced. "I suppose I was angry, but I got over it."

"And when Wilson told you he was leaving too?" Cameron studied the older woman's face.

Cuddy scowled, probably couldn't help herself. "I pointed out he'd be breaking his contract, of course. But he wouldn't be persuaded." She shook her head.

"I bet that made you even angrier."

"Who said I was angry?"

Cameron let it go. "Dr. Cuddy, I understand they won't be able to rebuild the hospital until the cops and the insurance people investigate whether it was an accident or sabotage."

"Of course it was an accident! We should have been more diligent in making sure the materials kept in the basement were safe. I hold myself responsibility for that. But it's insane to think that anyone would deliberately cause the destruction of the building and the injuries to people who worked there."

"You know someone was killed, don't you?" Cameron tilted her head.

Her well-shaped brows came together. "Who told you that?" Obviously, Cuddy hadn't heard, or she was a good actress.

Cameron shrugged. "Sheila Murphy."

"The maintenance woman? She'd been with us for years, made sure all the mechanicals ran smoothly."

"I understand she was found in the rubble."

Cuddy frowned and her eyes moistened at the news. "I'm surprised that no one told me." She looked down. "I've had a long day. Time for me to go home."

"I won't keep you any longer, then." Cameron watched Cuddy leave, her shoulders slumped either from tiredness, the news about Sheila, or a sense of guilt.

When she reached Wilson's room, House greeted her with the best news of the day. "Wilson remembered the Labor Day festivities in Shelby."


	31. Chapter 31

I'll be leaving on another trip next week, but hope to post another chapter before I go. Thanks everyone for reading and for commenting.

 **Chapter 31.**

"That's wonderful!" Cameron hugged Wilson. "See, the rest will come back too, with time."

"Well, I'm somewhat encouraged now that I remembered that much. And it helped me remember what I felt for Jessica." He smiled over at the young veterinarian.

Cameron grinned at House.

"So, what did she who I'd rather not name have to say for herself?" House asked.

"It wasn't only what she said, but her reactions to what I said. She was angry when you left, was starting to get over it, and then Wilson turned in his resignation, and she became angry all over again." She paused. "I don't think she rigged the explosion or had someone else do it. All she had left was the hospital. But the police have a good case against her."

House looked toward the ceiling. "You're too trusting."

"In this case, I'm certain I'm right."

"What else did Cuddy say?" Wilson asked. "Or indicate?"

Cameron shifter her attention to Wilson. "She appeared surprised that Sheila was found dead. I didn't push my luck asking about Sheila's ex-boyfriend."

"Wise move." House smirked. "Let her stew, wondering why you wanted to talk to her, and whether she'd said too much. I hope when you report to Cullen, you don't leave anything out."

Cameron nodded. "I should do that now." She moved to a corner of the room and made the call. But as she talked to the cop, she watched House, Wilson and Jessica. House was more relaxed now that Wilson had begun to retrieve his memories. Did that mean he'd come back to Shelby with her? She finished telling Cullen exactly what Cuddy said, without giving her interpretation, then rejoined House, Wilson and Jessica.

House raised one eyebrow.

"Cullen will question her himself. He said what she told me was inconclusive."

"And he thinks she'll tell him something incriminating?" House scratched the side of his jaw. "Well, we should let you two kids get reacquainted now that Wilson's regained the love bug."

Cameron looked at him, then at Wilson. "Yes, we'll go back to the condo and prepare it for your homecoming." She tugged at House's arm.

As they went down in the elevator, he said. "I like that idea. Homecoming."

"House. What are you planning?" Her eyes were slits.

"We'll have to make a few stops on the way for it to be perfect."

"House?"

"You'll see. It'll be fun." He had one of his most maniacal grins on his face.

Cameron couldn't do much besides going along with him.

Their first stop was a party store. That she expected. It was the next stop, at Sports Authority that took her off guard, but when she saw what he purchased, the light dawned. They had dinner at a pizza place before finishing their shopping. The last stop was at a grocery store where they stocked up on all of Wilson's favorite snacks, and House's too.

House carried a couple of items, claiming one hand was occupied with his cane. Cameron hefted all the rest when they unloaded the car. She put away the snacks and left him to work out where everything else went. By midnight he had finished and stepped back against the door to view his masterpiece.

Cameron brought him a bottle of beer and joined him in admiration. "Wilson won't know what hit him."

"All he has to do is read the banner." He pointed to the one stretched across the entire living room.

"I hope it isn't all too much." She surveyed everything that went with the banner.

House rolled his eyes. "Nonsense. This is Wilson we're talking about. He expects me to do things like this."

She smirked. "Some day you'll surprise him and fail to do what he expects."

"Never."

She chuckled. "We should get the master bedroom ready for him."

"What about the couch for Jessica?" He pointed.

"If we leave tomorrow, that won't be necessary. She can have the guest room." She watched his face.

"You're assuming I'm leaving."

Cameron sighed. "House, Wilson's memory is returning. Otherwise he's fine. Cullen has several leads on who caused the explosion at PPTH. What's keeping you here?"

"Let's just say I can't wait to see Cuddy incarcerated, either for the explosion or stealing from the hospital. Or both."

"And if she didn't do either? If someone set her up? If there's a valid explanation for what the cops found?" She rested her palm on his chest.

"Are you defending her?"

"No." Her voice rose. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I just think if she's innocent, the cops should look elsewhere."

"They are. Cullen said they're investigating the electrician, right?"

"Well, yes." She frowned.

"Maybe we should both stay. You can defend Cuddy and I can prove she's guilty of something." He grinned.

"I have better things to do with my time." She walked away, toward the master bedroom. They hadn't been in it the night before, but Cameron wasn't surprised that Wilson left it in immaculate condition. There wasn't much they could do until he returned in the morning, and they made sure anything he needed was readily available.

A few boxes stood next to the closet, partially filled, and a couple by his dresser. He'd already started to pack.

House came in behind her. "He'll need help with the rest of his packing."

"Jessica can do that," Cameron pointed out. "You're just looking for an excuse to stay. Why?" Her eyes narrowed. "Do you feel some sort of guilt for what's happened to PPTH? None of this is because you left. If it was, it would have happened months ago. You could sooner blame it on Wilson's resignation, or the rise and fall of the stock market or gasoline prices."

He sat on the pristine bed, resting his hands on his cane and his chin on his hands.

"The hospital explosion and Wilson's memory loss are not your fault." Her brows rose. "There are things that happen in this world that aren't about you."

"Coulda fooled me."

She sighed, knowing he was trying to be glib.

"Cameron, are you really content to leave tomorrow with the investigation into the explosion still up in the air? What if Cullen arrests Cuddy, and you're convinced she didn't do it? As much as you dislike her, would you stand by, stay away in your not-all-that-safe haven in Shelby while she's railroaded to the gallows?"

Cameron had that debate with herself a few times earlier in the day, but she honestly didn't think Cullen would make that kind of mistake. "I suppose you'd stay and defend her, despite the way you feel about her."

"I might."

Cameron turned and walked away, wondering whether she was doing the right thing, but rather than go to the living room she turned back and strode back toward the bedroom. "I'm not going to stay on the off chance she's accused wrongly."

"I know."

She pursed her lips. "I suppose I could always come back, but then so can you." She poked his chest with a forefinger.

A smile played across his lips. "I'll take that under advisement. But right now, I have more important things to do."

"Like what?"

He reached for her with one hand and pulled her down next to him on the bed.

"Maybe we should go into the other bedroom."

"Wilson won't mind," he said

"But I would."

He snorted.

She pulled away and strolled to the guest bedroom, knowing House would follow. By the time he reached her, she had the bedding pulled down and the pillows plumped.

His hands slipped under her top and cupped her breasts through the lacy bra. His lips brushed her earlobe.

She smiled and pushed up on her toes to kiss him. "We seemed to be arguing earlier."

"Having a knock-down, drag-out fight." He smirked.

She shook her head. "It wasn't that bad, just a disagreement."

"Who has make-up sex after a disagreement? I say we were quarreling." His eyes flashed.

"Squabbling." She suppressed her urge to grin.

"Warring." He stared intently.

"Bickering."

They both laughed, then he kissed her lightly. "It's a good day when it ends this way."

She placed a hand on his cheek. "They're pretty much all good days since we've been together, even the bad ones."

They shed their clothing, then explored with eyes, fingers and lips.

They took it slow and easy, quiet and sweet, anticipating each other. Rising, falling. Full of thrills. Her pulse quickened. He warmed her and gave her pleasure. She stared deeply into his blue eyes, their fingers intertwined. Her head pulled back. His lips settled on the curve of her throat.

They rocked together to a fever pitch. She whispered his name, then shouted it, making him grin. "Enjoying this, are you?"

"House!" she said a third time as their bodies shuddered.

As they came back down from their high, she said, "Do you still want to stay here while I go home?" Her eyes laughed, and her mouth curved into a smile.

"You did this on purpose. I may have to rethink my plans."

She laughed. "House, as I said earlier, if we're needed, we can return to Princeton."

He nodded. "Still an option."

"I'll accept that for now. Let's get some sleep. Tomorrow will be busy getting Wilson home and settled." She snuggled against him, completely bare, closed her eyes, and fell asleep, so she didn't see the contented smile on his lips.

###

In the morning, she woke early. Leaving House to sleep a little longer, she slipped out of his grasp, took her clothes for the day, and headed to the shower. When she returned, she quietly packed anything she'd taken from her suitcase, then tiptoed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. There still was little food in the refrigerator, something they'd have to correct before she left.

That's where House found her. He snuck up behind her, dropped his hands on her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "What's for breakfast?"

"Besides all the snacks and beer we bought last night? Coffee, a bit of moldy cheese, some stale bread, oh, and an old jar of mustard with a dry crust on the top. We should have stopped at the market on the way here last night, but I guess there'll be time later."

He twisted his mouth. "Tell ya what, I'll shower and dress and then take you out for breakfast. It won't be Mo's finest, but it'll do."

"Sounds good." She handed him a mug of coffee to help him wake up.

It didn't take him long. They set out for the hospital, stopping at a coffee shop nearby for eggs, sausage, toast and more coffee. "You're right." Cameron swallowed a bite of egg. "Not as good as Mo's. One more reason to return to Shelby with me today."

House's face was blank, and Cameron sighed.

Dr. Peters was examining Wilson when they arrived. "You're friend is ready to leave our glorious facility," he told House. "I've scheduled an appointment to see him in a week to check his recovery progress."

"Thanks, Dr. Peters," Cameron said.

Jessica grinned. "He remembered a little more."

"Just the fact that I visited Shelby twice since you left PPTH."

"The condo's all ready for your return. We'll have to make a supermarket run, since the cupboard is bare, but there's time for that this afternoon before I leave." Cameron found a plastic bag with Wilson's clothing in it and handed it to him. She'd accepted that House would stay at least a while longer.

"My suitcase is in my car." Jessica had been living at the hospital since she arrived. "Although, most of the clothing in it is dirty. Guess I'll have to do some laundry."

"We'll leave as soon as Peters signs the discharge papers and an orderly brings a wheelchair."House's gaze flitted to the door just as it opened and Peters entered with a young man pushing a chair behind him.

"You're all set to go." Peters disconnected Wilson from all of the monitoring equipment. "Ordinarily I'd have a nurse do this, but since I was coming in anyway, I told them I'd take care of it. Here's a card with the information on your appointment with me. My office is on the second floor here. Don't hesitate to call if you have a headache or blurred vision."

"Thanks, Dr. Peters." Wilson took the card and tucked it in his shirt pocket.

The orderly helped Wilson into the chair, and House, Cameron and Jessica followed them.

House and Jessica went to get their cars, while Cameron waited with Wilson.

"House is staying?"

Cameron sighed. "Seems that way."

"I'll send him home in a day or two."

"Thanks, Wilson."


	32. Chapter 32

I'm leaving on a two-week trip but wanted to post another chapter before I go.

 **Chapter 32.**

Jessica and Cameron helped Wilson into the apartment. He did a double-take when he saw his living room. "You said you prepared the bedroom for me, but nothing about this."

"Duh. It's a surprise. A homecoming." House rolled his eyes. "Telling you ahead of time would have spoiled the effect."

Jessica smiled. "I think it was a sweet gesture. Thanks, House."

"Wilson, admit it." Cameron laughed. "Jessica's right. And if House hadn't done something like this, you would have been disappointed."

Wilson looked at each of them, then finally cracked his patent boyish smile.

Once Wilson was settled in his bedroom with Jessica by his side to run and fetch anything he needed, House and Cameron left for the nearby supermarket.

Cameron grabbed a cart from the corral nearest the store entrance, but House insisted he wanted to use one of the motorized ones. She rolled her eyes, knowing his goal was to terrorize all of the other shoppers by racing around corners and down the aisles. Distancing herself from him, she found the aisles she wanted and collected pasta, sauce, and rice. As House zoomed past her, she dropped the food in the basket, then looked for the cereal.

A box of Special K for Wilson and Froot Loops for House soon joined the other items in the basket. She noticed he'd acquired several bags of chips and candy somewhere along the way.

Her next stop was the produce department where she selected fruit, tomatoes, romaine and a cucumber. The cart was filling up, but they couldn't leave without hamburger, chicken breasts, and a large package of steaks, milk, butter and cheese, a couple of frozen pizzas, and ice cream, to which House added three six-packs of beer.

That would have to do for a while. House finally stopped at one of the check-out counters, but stayed seated while Cameron helped the bag boy unload the groceries for scanning and then put the items in several grocery bags.

House zipped through the parking lot until he reached the car. Cameron popped the trunk and filled it with all the food. House finally stood and got into the car, while she parked the cart back at the store entrance. She returned to the car and got in without a word.

"That was fun." He grinned as he started the car. When they reached the condo, he offered to take the bags containing the beer and snacks and left her to juggle the rest of the groceries. Jessica came to the door to help her carry them to the kitchen and put everything away. House put the beer in the refrigerator, except for the bottle he took with him as he went to the bedroom to talk to Wilson.

"How soon do you expect to leave?" Jessica asked Cameron.

Cameron glanced at her watch. "In an hour or two. I don't want to get home too late."

"You still haven't convinced House to go with you?"

She shook her head. "He's not doing this to be contrary. I don't know why he's so determined to stay, but he never does anything without a couple of reasons. Or three or four. I've found the best way to handle situations like that is to let him do his thing. Eventually his motivation will become apparent." She probably didn't convince Jessica of her indifference any more than she convinced herself.

"I guess that means I'll be using the couch, although I don't relish the idea of sleeping under a banner that says, 'Homecoming King' or sharing my bed with a football and a basketball."

Cameron chuckled. "Unless we can get House to sleep there, I'll help you remove some of the 'decorations'."

"Thanks." Jessica put a hand on her arm. "I'm going to miss you, especially if I have to deal with those two."

"Well if their shenanigans become too much, give me a call."

House entered the kitchen. "Your master wants you," he told Jessica.

Jessica smiled and left.

"I think I'll leave soon." Cameron crossed her arms. "I guess I'll see you when I see you."

House's mouth worked but he didn't say anything. Instead, he got another beer.

"Good thing we bought a lot of those." Cameron pointed to the bottle.

He nodded and took a long swig.

"Is there anything else I should do before I leave?"

He shook his head.

"Care to tell me why you're really staying?"

She'd pushed too hard, so he left the room.

Cameron sighed. Time to do what she promised Jessica. She found House sitting in the recliner in the living room. Ignoring him, she collected everything on the couch and over it.

"What are you doing?"

"If Jessica has to sleep on this, the least I can do it get it ready for her before I go." Cameron continued to clear away House's decorations. "Besides, Wilson's seen it all. No need to leave everything."

House drank another gulp.

She took down the banner and folded it neatly.

"You think Wilson will need that again?" House asked.

She pressed her lips together. "I thought I'd take it with me and 'surprise' you with it. That is, if you ever return to Shelby." As much as she tried to keep her voice from shaking, it rose in pitch and cracked.

"Who said I wouldn't return?"

That made her relax a little. "You never said you would." She stared at him.

His eyes blazed. "Cameron, don't you see I have to stay? I wish you'd stay, too, but I can understand you feel obligated to go."

"And you don't."

He shrugged. "My team is handling everything."

"Have you even checked in with them this weekend?"

He waved the subject away. "If they had a problem, they knew how to reach me."

She finished with the banner and took it to the guest room to add to her suitcase.

House remained in the living room, drinking his beer.

Cameron didn't want to disturb Wilson and Jessica. Instead, she returned to the living room, sat on the couch and called Cullen, well-aware House watched and listened as he studied his beer bottle. She purposely didn't put her phone on speaker.

"Dr. Cameron, I'm glad you called."

"I wanted to let you know I'll be leaving town later today, but my colleague, Dr. House, might be able to help you while he's still in Princeton." She gave Cullen House's phone number without asked him for his permission. House smiled.

"As long as he can continue to talk to some of the former employees at the hospital." Cullen paused. "But I did have a few questions for you before you leave."

"Sure. What did you want to know?" she asked.

"Several people I've questioned said that Dr. Cuddy had been acting strangely for a few months now. Do you have any guesses as to why?"

"Did any of them speculate about it?"

"Yes, but I'd like to hear what you think, since you've been away from the hospital for some time."

"As I told you, she was angry that one of her top doctors left about three months ago. Then another key doctor turned in his resignation more recently. But I doubt she'd destroy the hospital because she was distraught."

Cullen wasn't buying it. "People do strange things when they're emotionally upset."

Cameron knew how it could look to someone who didn't know Cuddy. "Detective, all she had left was the hospital. She'd do all she could to protect it."

"Hmm."

"What did the others say?"she asked.

"A Dr. Eric Foreman said she went on a rampage when Dr. House left. Is that the same person you suggested I talk to after you're gone?"

"Yes. Although I've heard she recovered from that. If she was going to do something destructive, it would have been then."

"And the more recent resignation?"

"Dr. James Wilson. He's an oncologist." Cameron felt uncomfortable about the direction the questions were going.

"Why did losing these two have such a profound effect on Dr. Cuddy?" Cullen asked.

"She considered them friends, and they brought patients and monetary contributions to the hospital, so she valued them as assets."

"Do you know why they left?"

How could she explain without making Cuddy look even more guilty? "Looking for other opportunities, I suppose." She wondered how House would answer if Cullen ask him that. It made her regret, in a way, proposing that Cullen should call House with any further questions. The sides of her mouth turned down as they often did when she wasn't sure she did the right thing or how to correct a mistake.

Cullen went on. "I've also talked to the electrician, Danny Butler. He hadn't heard that we found Sheila's body. In fact, he seemed devastated when he heard she was dead, but that doesn't mean he didn't start the explosion. He may have had a different reason than his break-up with her."

"So he's still on the list of suspects? How long a list do you have?" She didn't think he'd tell her who he suspected, but she knew of at least two and hoped the list was much longer.

He chuckled. "Besides Butler and Dr. Cuddy, there are three more. I'm not at liberty to divulge the other names."

"I didn't think you would. Well, I suppose this is good-bye. Best of luck getting to the bottom of this case and bringing the right perp to justice."

"It's been a pleasure working with you, Dr. Cameron. Have a safe trip home."

She ended the call and turned to House. "Guess your point man now."

"You've been watching too many cop shows, bandying about words like perp and point man." Something in his tone bothered her.

She sighed. "I'm going to say good-bye to Wilson and Jessica, and then be on my way."

His lips moved but he didn't speak.

She knocked before entering the master bedroom, although the door was open. "I wanted to let you know I'm leaving. Wilson, I expect you to continue to improve." She stepped closer to the bed, leaned over, and kissed his cheek, then turned and hugged Jessica. "Let me know what's happening. I don't think I can rely on House to keep me informed."

"Bye, Cameron. Thanks for coming." Wilson smiled.

Jessica winked. "Yeah. I'm glad you could be here even for only a few days. I'll try to keep an eye on House."

Cameron nodded. She retrieved her suitcase from the guest room and walked through the living room to the door. Before she left, she turned. "Good-bye, House."

He stared at her without moving from his chair.

She rolled her suitcase out but stopped after she closed the door to allow the tears in her eyes to course down her cheeks. She swiped at them with the back of her hand, sucked in a deep breath and walked to the elevator. As she descended she wiped her eyes again, then held her head high as she walked to her car.

The drive south was uneventful. She went directly to the apartment. Grateful Mrs. McClelland wasn't in the kitchen as she entered, she went down the stairs slowly, dragging her bag behind her. Once inside, she sat on the couch and stared as she finally let her mind deal with what had happened.

She knew House had a reason or two for remaining in Princeton, but she'd expected him to at least kiss her good-bye. A feeling of sadness engulfed her. All she had to cling to were his claims that he'd return to Shelby at some point.

She was an adult, she'd deal with the situation, take it day to day. She had work to do and people who depended on her. Four months earlier, she never thought House would ever be back in her life, and she was fine with it. Well, maybe not fine, but she had a life, a few friends, and a purpose. Now she had to go on as if he'd never appeared in Shelby.

Brooding wouldn't help. She unpacked and looked in her tiny refrigerator for something to eat. Aside from some leftovers that were probably past any safe eat-by date, it was empty. But she wasn't ready to face Mo's or even Sal's. As she debated where else she could go, the phone rang.

She looked at the caller ID. Her heart jumped but she didn't dare hope. "Hello."

"I thought you'd call when you arrived." The tone was accusatory.

"And I thought you'd..." tears choked her throat.

He hung up.


	33. Chapter 33

I've been home over a week, but didn't have a chance to do any writing while I was gone or even immediately after I returned. I finally have a chapter for all you lovely (and handsome) readers.

 **Chapter 33.**

The next morning, Cameron woke with a headache. All she wanted to do was go back to sleep and never wake up, but her sense of duty forced her to get out of bed, shower and dress for the day.

She climbed the stairs and found the kitchen empty. Would it have been better to have a quiet breakfast with Edna or brave the diner? Her need for a cup of coffee overrode her reluctance to face everyone at Mo's.

House's team sat in the booth. At least she wouldn't have to answer their questions about Wilson's progress since Jessica probably already reported to her brother. Of course, talking about Wilson would have been easier than discussing House's ambiguous attitude and why he hadn't returned with her.

"Good morning." Jacobs smiling face helped to raise Cameron's spirits.

"Morning."

"Guess our fearless leader remained in Princeton." Magnani's statement contained not a hint of a question, and Cameron relaxed a little.

Linda arrived, laden with breakfast plates for the three young doctors. "I'll get you some coffee, Doc." She deposited the plates and turned away, returning in less than a minute with the pot. "What'll it be this morning?"

"Some eggs and toast." Cameron took a whiff of the food in front of the others and added, "And a couple of sausage links."

Just when it seemed Cameron had escaped without having to talk about House, Pete wandered over. "Where's the big man?"

But Simpson answered for her. "He's still in New Jersey with my sister and Dr. Wilson."

Pete nodded. "How's Wilson?"

Cameron swallowed the gulp she'd taken. "Improving."

"Well, tell 'em I said 'hi'." Pete walked out the door.

"Jessica said Wilson's memory is coming back but very slowly." Simpson bit his toast and chewed.

"Yes. As you probably know, it sometimes happens that way with an injury like his." Cameron smiled at Linda as the waitress set a plate in front of her.

All three members of the team nodded.

Simpson swallowed. "I've seen patients who've taken months to recover their memories and others who never do, but I didn't tell my sister that."

Silence fell, except for the sounds of four doctors eating. Finally, Cameron asked, "How's your patient?"

"Much better." Jacobs grinned. "Once we identified what caused her allergic reaction, we were able to find ways to alleviate any additional problems. She'll be going home this morning."

"So you won't have a patient?" Cameron's eyes narrowed.

"We'll wait for House to come back." Jacobs grinned. "Meanwhile, we're each helping out in other departments in the hospital."

Cameron grimaced. "It might be a while before your boss returns."

"Hot on the trail of whoever blew up the hospital?" Magnani guessed.

"Maybe." But Cameron thought that was the least of the reasons he'd stayed when she returned to Shelby. She just hoped she herself wasn't one of the other reasons. Her face brightened. "Simpson, I want to thank you again for covering the clinic while I was gone."

"My pleasure." He sounded as if he meant it.

They finished their food and left the diner, the team to drive to the hospital, and Cameron to go the seventy-five yards to the clinic.

Carol's car pulled up as Cameron was opening the door. "You're back!" She hugged Cameron, and the two of them entered.

"I hope everything's been quiet while I was gone." Cameron wanted to hear Carol's opinion on how well Simpson did."

"Yes. Bart did very well, but he didn't know the patients the way you do." Carol took her seat behind her desk. "How's Dr. Wilson?"

"Wilson's improving." Cameron knew she'd be saying that a lot before the day was over. She entered the exam room and checked to make sure it was the way she'd left it, not that she had any doubts. Before she'd finished, Carol notified her that their first patient had arrived. Cameron settled in for her usual day of flu and broken wrists and babies who'd swallowed what they shouldn't.

The constant influx of patients as well as her morning session mentoring Rusty kept her occupied so she didn't have time to think about when, or if House would return to Shelby, and why he'd remained in Princeton. By five-thirty when she was finally free to leave the clinic, she was exhausted. Rather than return to the diner, she headed back to the apartment.

As she walked through the door, Edna rose and stepped toward her. "Allison, I'm sorry I wasn't here when you arrived home last night." She pulled Cameron into her arms. It was all Cameron needed to let the tears fall. When her sobs subsided, Edna held her away and looked at her. "What's wrong?"

Cameron wiped her face on her sleeve. "House decided to stay. I don't know for how long, or even whether he's staying in New Jersey forever. I thought...I thought we'd finally made it together."

"Aren't you overreacting to the fact that he didn't come back with you?" Edna's eyes looked into hers.

"I know he had his reasons, but why didn't he tell me what they were? Why didn't he tell me that he'd come home after those reasons were satisfied?" She refused to cry about it again. Her sadness had turned to anger.

"Are you afraid he doesn't trust you with his reasons?"

"Either that or he's being overprotective." Cameron shook her head.

"Why don't you call him?"

"And get the same cold shoulder I got when I left, or accusations like last night when he called and then hung up? Edna, if he wants to tell me what's going on, he knows where I am."

Edna stared at her, then turned halfway toward the stove. "Have you eaten?" Without waiting for an answer she went on. "I prepared a nice meatloaf for tonight and I'd hate to eat it alone."

Cameron hesitated, then nodded. "Sure, I'll join you." She smirked. "Won't House be jealous when he finds out he missed your meatloaf. We both think it's even better than Mo's."

Edna beamed, then placed the pan in the oven. "How about a salad and baked potato with that? I can pop a couple of spuds in the microwave."

"Sounds good. Let me help you. I can make the salad."

Together they prepared their meal, and then ate it without another word about House.

But before they'd finished off with some coffee and Edna's apple pie, Cameron's phone rang. Eagerly she took it out and glanced at the screen. Her face fell but only slightly. "It's Jessica," she told Edna before answering the call. "Hi Jessica."

"Hello, Allison. I just wanted to call and tell you nothing's changed here. James is sleeping and House is in the guest room."

"Thanks, Jessica. I hope Wilson and House aren't too much for you to cope with." Cameron kept her voice light.

Jessica laughed. "There were moments today when I could have banged their heads together, but mostly it's been pleasant. They taught me a card game. Can't remember the name of it. They got a good laugh at me every time I did something wrong."

"That's good. I mean not that they were laughing at you, but that they were laughing."

"Yes, I thought so too. That's why I didn't mind so much." After a pause, Jessica said, "Well, I'd better go. James is calling. I'll speak to you again tomorrow."

"Good-night. And tell Wilson I said good-night to him too."

Edna frowned at her and sighed. "I noticed you didn't tell her to say good-night to House. More than being upset, you're angry at him, aren't you?"

"You better believe it." Cameron's voice was tight. "What right does he have to keep things from me, to shut me out? I thought we were past that." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, she had a determined look on her face. "Well, if that's the way he's going to play it, I can be secretive and standoffish, too."

"Oh, Allison. Are you sure that's the right way to handle the situation?" Edna tilted her head as she looked at her. "Can't you give it a few days and see what happens, then make a decision?"

Cameron knew her landlady was right. She was hurt and angry, and not thinking clearly about how to deal with House. It was possible that once she knew what his reasons were, she'd understand why he'd acted the way he had. She might not like it, but she'd understand. Slowly her head bobbed. "I think I'll go down and take a shower, maybe read a book. Thanks, Edna. And thanks for a wonderful dinner."

She headed down to the apartment, but rather than undress and get into the shower, she dropped onto the couch and closed her eyes. Hours later, she woke knowing she'd had a disturbing dream, but not what it was about. That bothered her as much as the way House had treated her. She believed that if she could remember the dream, she'd finally understand House's motivation.

Cameron finally undressed, but didn't have the energy to shower, or even open the bed. She wrapped herself in a blanket, placed a pillow on one end of the couch, and stretched out. She couldn't fall asleep again. She tossed and turned, almost falling off once or twice. Every scenario she could come up with went through her mind, yet none were satisfactory. Finally, about four in the morning slumber arrived. Her internal clock woke her at seven, long before she got enough rest. But the clinic called.

She finally took the shower she'd promised herself the night before. The hot water hitting her shoulders and running down her back eased some of the tension that had built up. The shower left her feeling ready to face the day although it was no substitute for a rubdown from House, but she'd have to find all sorts of substitutes for his ministrations, even for his presence.

A stop for a quick breakfast at the diner and lots of coffee gave her the spark to begin another day at the clinic. Rusty wasn't scheduled for the morning and she wouldn't see Hannah, her other student, until the next afternoon, but the patient load was even higher than on Monday. She barely had time for lunch or to use the bathroom. Two of the patients had complicated problems. One had an unexplained pain in his right shoulder, and the other had stomach problems that had failed to respond to Tums or a bland diet. She wished she could consult with House about them, but when she solved the cases herself, she felt a proud sense of accomplishment.

When they'd finished with the last patient, Carol invited her to dinner at Sal's. "Will asked Seth to work late tonight. They're painting the trim around the windows and doors of your house."

It had been a while since Cameron had spent non-work time with Carol. "Sure. I ate with Edna last night, but I hate to impose on her even more than I hate to eat alone."

They drove in separate cars and met at the door to the restaurant. Sal himself seated them. "Are Dr. House and Seth joining you?"

"No, it's just the two of us tonight," Carol told him.

Cameron was glad she didn't try to explain. They sat back and perused the menu when Sal left to return to the front of the restaurant.

"Everything's always good here." Carol took a sip of her water.

"I'm partial to their chicken parmigiano. House usually orders pizza or the putenesca." Why did everything she did remind her of him? When she left Princeton, it took six, maybe eight months to stop thinking about him. Now? If he never came back, she'd never get him out of her mind. _Stop thinking that way_ _, she told herself. He'll be back. He's made a place for himself in Shelby and Snow Hill. Once he solves the puzzle of who caused the explosion at PPTH and he's taken care of whatever else is bothering him, he'll come home and_ _explain_ _everything._


	34. Chapter 34

Back on schedule.

Chapter 34.

"Allison." Carol snapped her fingers as close to Cameron's face as she could. "Carol to Allison. Where'd you go all of a sudden?"

Cameron shook her head. "I'm sorry. My mind wandered."

"I'll say. Care to talk about it?" The concerned expression on Carol's face begged her to confide her fears.

"I was just wondering what House was up to in New Jersey, and when he'd come home."

Carol's eyes opened wide. "He didn't tell you why he stayed?"

"Part of it is the ongoing investigation into the explosion at the hospital. He also probably wants to stay to help Wilson regain his memories." Cameron forced her voice to remain calm.

"Yeah, that sounds like House."

Cameron smiled. Carol was right. It did sound like his kind of reasoning.

Their food arrived, and Cameron focused on eating.

Carol swallowed a mouthful and grinned. "This is delicious. I could eat Italian food everyday."

Cameron wiped some sauce from around her mouth with the linen napkin. "We eat out way too much. I hope when our house is done, we can cook at home more." She also hoped she'd be doing that cooking with House. "I can't do much in the apartment. I'm sure Edna would let me cook in her kitchen, but I'd hate to bother her."

"Trust me, after a while cooking all the time, especially for a man who eats as much as Seth, and I guess House, too, can become tedious." Carol took a bite of garlic bread, chewed and swallowed. "Seth says your house should be finished in less than a month. I bet you're excited."

"I am. I should take a drive out there on the weekend. Will sends me photos periodically, but that's not the same as seeing the place in person."

"Do you want company when you go? I'd love to see it." Carol's eyes shone.

"That would be great."

They finished off their dinners with spumoni and coffee. Cameron sighed with pleasure and patted her stomach. "That was a great meal. Thanks for suggesting it."

When they left the restaurant, they went their separate ways. Cameron drove back to Edna's feeling somewhat calmer and more relaxed than she'd been in a while. She spoke briefly to Edna and then went down to her apartment. As she deposited her bag on the counter, her phone rang.

"Hi Allison." Jessica's voice didn't hold the happiness it had after Wilson started to remember.

"Jessica, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, really, but James hasn't remembered anything new. House reassures us that it's not unusual, but I'm worried."

"House is right. We both told you it might take a long time for Wilson to regain his memories." She took a deep breath and let it out. "What else did House say?"

"Not much. He was on the phone with Detective Cullen a few times today, even yelled at him, but he didn't say what that was about."

"I'll call Cullen in the morning and ask." Cameron had hesitated about calling him, but now she was too curious to let it go.

"Umm, Dr. Cuddy came by this afternoon to see how James was doing and she got into a shouting match with House, but not about James. All I heard was House insisting he knew she didn't do it."

That confirmed some of what Cameron thought. House was there to defend their former boss. But why was Cuddy arguing with him if that was the case?

"Have you had any other visitors?" she asked.

"No. I wondered about that, too," Jessica said.

"Well, thanks for calling." Cameron was already planning what she could do from Shelby. "And don't worry about Wilson. He'll make progress in spurts."

"I hope so. Thanks for the encouragement."

"You're very welcome. And thank you for continuing to keep me informed about what's happening there. Give Wilson my love. She bit her lip. "And tell House to give me a call when he has a chance."

"I will."

Cameron had a more restful sleep that night, and woke more refreshed. Whatever happened with House, she'd be fine. She had friends in this town, and a useful job. She'd built a life for herself, with or without him.

She dressed and drove to the diner, where she greeted everyone with a big grin. The morning at the clinic passed quickly. They were so busy that Carol had to go to the diner to get their lunches and bring them back to eat between patients. It also kept her from making the call to Cullen.

Hannah showed up on time at three-thirty, and Cameron had her observe as she examined patients with the usual assortment of ailments. Again, the chubby teenager voiced her objection to shots when Cameron administered a shingles vaccine to Mrs. Harley, one of their elderly patients.

"Won't she get sick from that?"

"Do you know how people get shingles?" Cameron countered.

Hannah shook her head.

"If you've had chicken pox as a child, the virus, called varicella, lies dormant inside you but sometimes later in life, instead of recurring as chicken pox, you develop the painful rash and other symptoms of shingles." She pointed to the needle she was about to insert in Mrs. Harley's arm. "This vaccine has been used successfully for several years to prevent that. The only side effects are redness and itching."

Hannah still frowned.

Cameron administered the shot, wondering how Hannah could ever become a doctor if she didn't believe in this kind of preventive medicine. It wasn't her job to change the girls beliefs, but she hoped she could somehow get her to question them.

Mrs. Harley smiled. "That wasn't too bad. My neighbor, Grace Morton, had such a bad case of shingles she still has some nerve damage."

"This should prevent that from happening to you," Cameron said.

Hannah left at five with a thoughtful expression on her face that gave Cameron some hope.

Five patients remained in the waiting room. Cameron finally finished treating them at six-thirty. By then she was starving. Carol had left at five-thirty to go home and make dinner for Seth, so Cameron sprinted across the alley to the diner.

House's team members were already eating their dinners.

"What did you have?" She couldn't tell from what was left on their plates.

"Roast beef." Magnani pointed to his plate.

"It was delicious," Jacobs said. "And the garlic mashed potatoes were to die for." There was nothing left on her plate.

"Do people still say to die for?" Cameron chuckled.

"Only when it's true." Jacobs laughed.

After those endorsements, Cameron ordered 'what they had'. She sat back and sighed.

"Long day?" Simpson asked.

She nodded. "Any new word from your sister?"

"No. Isn't House keeping you up to date?"

She'd been waiting for someone to ask that. "No." She left it at that. None of them decided to pry.

"If you need any help at the clinic, I'd be happy to work with you. No one seems to need my help at Snow Hill at the moment."

Cameron remembered that Simpson was a gastroenterologist. "No patients with stomach problems?"

He shook his head. "Not even an ulcer or indigestion."

"Sure, I'd be happy for the help." When Linda brought her food, Cameron took a bite of the roast beef. "You were right about this."

They passed their dinner together discussion innocuous things. When she left the team, Cameron realized she still hadn't had time to call Cullen. She glanced at her watch. Seven thirty. Probably too late. She'd call in the morning. With Simpson helping at the clinic she might have the time.

As she got out of her car at Edna's house, her phone buzzed. She smiled. Jessica calling in with her daily report. "Hi, Jessica. I just left your brother."

"Oh, Allison! It's terrible!" Her sobs came through the phone. "James is much worse again. House won't talk to me about it, but they've taken him back to the hospital. Maybe he'll tell you what's happening."

"Jessica, calm down." Cameron knew it was a stupid thing to say but it gave her a chance to assemble her thoughts. "Tell me what happened. What do you mean, he's worse?"

"When he woke from a nap this afternoon, his memory was all gone. He had problems focusing. And he was in terrible pain. His head." She started crying again. "House called 911 and went with the ambulance to Princeton General."

Cameron felt like crying herself. She had to be there for her friends, Wilson and Jessica. Normally, patients with the kind of injury he'd suffered improved gradually. They rarely relapsed unless the injury was more severe. Was that what House had kept from her? Was that why he'd stayed?

"I'll drive up there tonight as soon as I make arrangements. Bart already offered to help at the clinic, so he won't mind taking over for me again. I...I don't know what time I'll get there."

"Meet me at the hospital."

Cameron entered the house. Edna was on the phone, so she just waved and rushed down to the apartment. She hadn't had time to wash the clothes she'd taken to New Jersey the previous weekend, but she found some clean ones and threw them and her toiletries into her suitcase.

A call to Simpson confirmed that he'd cover the clinic. "I don't know how long I'll be gone this time."

"As long as you have to. Just tell my sister I'll be praying for Dr. Wilson."

Cameron had never taken him for religious, but at times like these, even agnostics and atheists were known to say a prayer or two. She also called Carol to let her know.

"Don't worry about anything here. Let us know how he's doing."

Cameron knew she meant Wilson.

All of that taken care of, she took her case and went back up to Edna's kitchen. "I'm returning to Princeton. Dr. Wilson has taken a turn for the worst." Wasn't that a cliché? But it was the truth.

She got back into her car and made the three-and-a-half hour trip, arriving at the hospital at one-thirty in the morning. The lobby was quiet, but a guard sat at the reception desk.

"What room is Dr. James Wilson in, please?"

He looked at her, surprise written across his broad face. "Visiting hours are long over."

"I'm a doctor." House had taught her well how to deal with situations like this. "I was called in to consult on his case." She showed her credentials.

He glanced at the cards she showed. "Okay." He consulted a computer monitor. "Room five twenty."

"Thank you." She flashed a smile and strode to the elevator. It opened as soon as she pushed the button, but the ride up to five seemed interminable.

The silence and absence of the usual bustle didn't surprise her. A nurse walked by, intent on a paper in her hand. Jessica rushed to Cameron as soon as she entered the room.

House looked at her from a chair near the window with a half smile on his face. "How did I know you'd show up?"

"Jessica called me."

"And you came rushing back for your pal, Wilson." His eyes blazed.

She ignored him, appearing to confirm what he said by going straight to the bed. "I didn't expect to find you here." She tried to smile at Wilson.

"Cameron?"

She glanced at Jessica, then back to the patient. "Yes. I drove up from Maryland when I heard you were back in the hospital."

"What were you doing in Maryland?" Wilson sounded genuinely puzzled.

Cameron sighed. "I work there now, running a clinic in the town of Shelby." She didn't volunteer any more information.

"Why don't you tell him he's visited?" House sounded angry. "Twice."

She had an answer, but decided not to share it with House. As she talked to Wilson and watched the reactions on Wilson's face, she formed a series of questions and things to say to House, but this wasn't the time or place. She debated with herself whether to ask Peters those questions instead, or at least before she confronted House.

But she didn't want to do any of that with Jessica present, or Wilson either, for that matter. She flashed another smile at Wilson and squeezed Jessica's shoulder. "I'll be right back."

The chances of finding Peters in the hospital at two in the morning were slim to none, but she had to try. She went directly to his office. Dark and empty. She heard the footsteps behind her, a familiar ka-thump as House limped towards her. She turned to face him, sneering although she wished she had a better expression in her arsenal.

"What did you want with Peters?" He pointed his cane at the door.

"I wanted a straight answer about Wilson's condition. You assisted with the surgery. What did you see then that convinced you this relapse would happen?" She spit out the words, compelled by the mixture of anger and sadness she felt.

His face worked through several looks.

"Just give me a straight answer. Don't concoct one that you think I should hear. The truth, House. What have you been keeping from me? Why did you really stay here in Princeton?"

His expression settled on anguish. "I wanted to spare you..."

She interrupted. "Bull. You didn't. You only made it worse by not telling me, by keeping it close to your chest rather than sharing it. With me. Did you ever think how I might be affected? Did you ever think that I could HELP?" She walked past him, and headed back to Wilson's room leaving a stunned House pondering every word she said.


	35. Chapter 35

Another chapter for you terrific readers.

 **Chapter 35**

Wilson's eyes were closed and he was snoring. Cameron spoke softly to Jessica. "What did Peters say?"

"He examined James, checked his eyes and reactions." Jessica pursed her lips. "His words were, 'It's a temporary relapse. Nothing to concern you'." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm trying to stay calm, but it's not working."

Cameron nodded. "I'll talk to Peters in the morning. Maybe he'll share more with me than with you." She thought of all the times House refused to even speak with the family of a patient, claiming they were idiots and wouldn't understand.

House came back in, juggling three cups of coffee and his cane. "It's putrid stuff from the machine, but it's better than nothing." He handed cups to Cameron and Jessica, and they thanked him.

Cameron took a sip and practically spit it back into the cup. "Putrid is right." Then she blew across the top to cool the brownish liquid.

His gaze shifted to Wilson, and he frowned.

"Should we wake him?" Jessica asked.

"Nah. Let him sleep." House gulped the scalding coffee. "At least it's hot."

"I'm staying here. Do you two want to head back to the condo?" Jessica put her untouched coffee on Wilson's tray table.

"In a little while." Cameron realized how exhausted she was, but she knew she wouldn't sleep. And then there was the question of where she was supposed to try sleeping. She glanced at House, who was contemplating Wilson. "House?"

"What?" He looked at her.

"Are you staying here, too?"

He shrugged. "Nothing I can do for now. They'll do more tests in the morning."

"I'll find a motel room," Cameron decided.

"What's wrong with the condo?" House's eyes became slits.

"You're in the guest room. I guess Jessica's been using the couch..." She let it hang, but the ends of her mouth went down and she crossed her arms, waiting for his snark.

House stared at her in silence.

"House, say something," Jessica urged.

He turned on her. "It's none of your business." Then he stormed out of the room.

"You gave him a chance."

"Yeah, two in the last half hour. He's being as tight-lipped as ever, even now."

"What do you mean?"

"I think he stayed because he anticipated Wilson's relapse. Sure, he's dealing with his BFF's continued problems, but that doesn't mean he has to do it alone." Cameron closed her eyes, then opened them. "Jessica, I'm too tired to deal with him now, and I'm no good to you until I get some rest. I'm going to find a nearby hotel. Tell James when he wakes up that I'll be back in the morning." She hugged Jessica and left. She didn't get far.

House stood against a wall just outside Wilson's room. He put out his cane to block her way. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To find a bed somewhere."

"You have a bed."

"It's back in Shelby. I'm not driving back tonight."

"I mean my bed, in Wilson's guest room."

If he'd said that a few minutes earlier, she would have accepted, but now she didn't know what to do. Much as she wanted to spend the rest of the night, or rather early morning, in bed with him, how could she after the way he'd been acting? Yet, there was a plea in his eyes, one he hadn't expressed in words. She knew how hard it was for him to ask anyone for anything. Was this how he was handling it?

"Alright, but not until you tell me what you know about Wilson's condition and his prognosis." Her lips formed a line and her eyes met his.

He breathed in and out four times, then started to speak. "He had a bleed in his brain. Peters thought he'd stopped it while he was in there operating. I saw him do it, yet I had a nagging feeling that it was an indication of additional problems."

"So that's why you hung around here. That and the ongoing investigation into the cause of the explosion." She couldn't stay angry with him for long, although residual resentment remained. He still had lots of explaining to do. "What's the latest from Cullen?"

"He likes you better than me. I only get brief updates, most of them inconsequential. He confirmed that the electrician didn't do it, but he's still hot on Cuddy's tail."

"And Wilson current condition, what is Peters planning to do? Will he operate again?"

"He wants to do a few more tests first." House tapped his cane. "I have half a mind to ask Foreman to consult on the case."

"What's stopping you? You know he's a top-notch doctor, despite his ego." She still resented the time Foreman stole her paper. The fact that House approved it and sat on hers was almost forgotten.

"I want to give Peters another shot, but you may be right. This is Wilson we're talking about, not some random patient." The tapping stopped. "Ready to go?"

She shook her head at his abrupt change of subject. "I'll follow you back to the condo." That would give her time to deal with her conflicting emotions. Should she forgive House? Was there anything to forgive him for? Was it all in her perceptions? No, they'd developed a relationship where they shared almost everything, and he'd betrayed that. But had she caused it by withholding information she'd gotten from Cullen?

As she drove, she tried to arrange the events in chronological order. He'd been first to act, keeping her in the dark about what he knew of Wilson's condition. She'd given him ample opportunity to disclose all of that, but he hadn't. By the time she reached the condo, much of her anger had returned.

She parked next to him and got out. As she retrieved her suitcase from the trunk, he walked ahead to the building. She rushed to catch up.

He let them into the lobby and walked to the elevator. While they waited for the car to come down to the first floor, she waited for him to speak. Instead, he entered first, and got off first on Wilson's floor. She followed him to the door. He opened it and left it open for her.

"Are you back to giving me the silent treatment?" She couldn't keep it up herself, but he was a master at it. She wheeled her suitcase only as far as the living room.

"Seems to me you're the one. Alternating with shouting at me, of course."

Her indignation overwhelmed her. She pursed her lips and reversed toward the door. "I'm leaving."

House blew out some air and seemed to deflate. "Allison, stay."

"And do what? Have a conversation with myself?" Tears welled but she refused to let them fall.

"Sit."

"There you go, ordering me around." But she plopped down on the couch. "I'm listening."

He paced twice across the room, then sat beside her, looking down at the floor. After another minute of silence he began. "I told you about the bleeds in Wilson's brain. We have to make sure he gets the best treatment, whether it's from Peters or from Foreman. Otherwise...Anyway, Cullen is hounding Cuddy. Much as I still dislike the woman, you and I know she didn't do it. We have to clear her name."

"You say 'we'. I hope that includes me." Cameron slumped against the back of the couch. "Is there more?"

House nodded. "This is the part I was particularly keeping from you." He looked at her for the first time since he sat and took her hand. "The meds I'm on now...they're not working. Since I've been back here, I've been more tempted than ever to start taking Vicodin again. I know, you'll say it's all the more reason to leave. Maybe you'll think it's psychosomatic, that being in Princeton triggered the increased pain. Maybe you'd be right." He shook his head. "I...I didn't want to have this conversation with you."

She put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, you know I'd help you through this whether it's here or in Shelby. I should have sensed it somehow, should have known you were in pain, not just because of Wilson's health."

His hand automatically went to his leg, and he rubbed the scar through his jeans.

"Did you want me to do that?" She reached out.

He looked at her with such hope that she took over. He relaxed a little. "I should have known I'd feel better with you here, but I couldn't put you through everything."

"Well, I'm here now. House, you have no idea what thoughts went through my mind when you wouldn't speak to me. I wondered whether I did something wrong, or you suddenly no longer trusted me. I knew you didn't stay just to help Cullen with his investigation, but I hadn't a clue what your other motives were." She leaned against him. "Or your intentions."

"You should have trusted me. I always have multiple reasons for everything I do."

She nodded. "Yes I knew that, but you should have trusted me and told me what those reasons were."

That seemed to come as a surprise to him. "I never thought..."

She interrupted, "No you didn't think. You were so focused on your mission, you didn't think about anyone else." But the fight had gone out of her. "I understood that you were protecting me from something, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't have told me what it was."

He inhaled deeply and let the air out naturally. "I guess I have a lot to make up to you."

"Yes, you have." She smiled briefly. "When this is all over. I have some ideas of what we can do that'll make it up for both of us."

He chuckled. "I always liked the way you think." He kissed her forehead and then her lips. Not one to ever say he was sorry, he still showed it by pulling her onto his lap careful to avoid the injured leg, and proceeded to cover her face with kisses.

They were interrupted by the buzz of Cameron's phone. House, who ordinarily would tell her to ignore it, this time answered it for her.

Jessica's voice was so loud and distraught, they could both hear her. "James still doesn't know me but he's asking for both of you."

"We're on our way." House shifted Cameron onto the couch and used his cane to stand. Cameron was on her feet seconds later.

They took House's car to the hospital. The streets were almost empty at that hour of the morning, so they made record time.

Wilson was as distraught as Jessica sounded. "Who is this woman, House?" He pointed to Jessica.

Cameron frowned. "She's the sister of one of House's current fellows. A veterinarian."

"House hired a veterinarian?" Wilson's eyebrows came together.

"No, her brother is a gastroenterologist. Jessica is the veterinarian. She's great. You'll like her."

Wilson calmed down and smiled at the young woman. "Nice to meet you, Jessica. But what are you doing in my room?" He turned to Cameron. "And what am I doing in a hospital bed?"

Cameron glanced at House, then her gaze shifted back to Wilson. "What did they tell you yesterday?"

"Yesterday?"

"When you woke up here yesterday."

Wilson settled back against his pillow. "I don't remember."

"Exactly." House stepped closer to him. "That's why you're here. You've lost your memory. There was an explosion at PPTH that damaged your head and left you with a kind of amnesia."

"This isn't PPTH?"

"No. A large part of the hospital was destroyed," Cameron said. "You're at Princeton General." She wondered how much of what they told him now would stay with him. Would he forget this, too, like he forgot the day before?

Peters came in. "Ah, Dr. Wilson. You're awake."

"Dr. Peters? Aren't you the head of the Neurology Department at Princeton General, I mean here?" Wilson struggled to sit up until Cameron raised half of the bed.

"Yes, doctor. I personally performed your surgery at the request of your friend, Dr. House." Peters checked the monitors, then took Wilson's vitals by hand. "I'm afraid we're going to have to run more tests."

"Because I lost my memory. Yes, I understand." Wilson nodded.

Peters looked at House. "I hope you'll assist again if I have to operate."

"You couldn't keep me away." House half-smiled.

An orderly approached with a gurney, and shifted Wilson onto it with the patient's help.

"We won't be long, ladies. Why don't you have some coffee in the cafeteria." Peters followed them out, with House close behind.

"Jess, when was the last time you ate?"

"I...I don't remember." Jessica snickered. "Guess it's catching."

They went down to the almost-deserted cafeteria and each got something to eat and some coffee, then found a table in a corner.

"Jessica, you know how good a doctor House is. Wilson's in good hands." Cameron flashed her most comforting smile.

"But they operated on him a few days ago. He was better, and now he's worse." Jessica's voice was filled with anguish and her face contorted.


	36. Chapter 36

Here's another chapter. Hope you enjoy it. And, for those of you in the US, have a wonderful 4th.

 **Chapter 36.**

"House says he stayed because he was afraid they missed something. Now they know what to look for." Cameron sipped her coffee to calm herself, knowing it would probably increase her jitters. It wouldn't help Jessica if she was frantic too. She pushed it away. "That's why they're doing more tests before they decide whether or not to operate again."

Jessica ran a hand through her thick blond hair. "I wish I knew more about human anatomy. Animals don't exhibit a loss of memory the way people do."

Cameron thought about that. Memory seemed to be a purely human trait, although dogs, horses and other animals could be taught tricks and seem to remember them, and some birds could learn words to repeat. "What would cause a dog to forget a trick she was taught?"

"Oh, I hadn't thought of that. Usually it's due to an injury or old age. Sometimes to the situation." In response to Cameron's quizzical look, Jessica explained. "If you teach a dog to sit at home, they don't always respond to the same command in a vet's office." She shook her head. "Their memories work differently than ours."

They ate their yogurt and bagels in silence. Cameron thought about what Jessica said, and about what she knew of the human brain. When she finished eating, she said, "The synapses involved in memory aren't gone in Wilson's case. He did remember for a while. But something's interfering with him accessing those memories. Let's go see what House and Peters found with their tests." She bussed their plates and coffee cups.

"Do you think they're back yet?" Jessica asked.

Cameron checked her watch. "Another few minutes. I'll get House some food and then we can go back up." She bought House two bagels, eggs and hash browns, and a large coffee. The cafeteria was beginning to fill up with the day shift. They took the elevator back to five and walked to Wilson's room. It was still empty, but not for long.

An orderly pushed the gurney containing Wilson into the room. He was followed by the two doctors, deep in conversation.

Wilson was awake, and once he'd been transferred to the bed, he sat up. He smiled at Cameron, blinked, then smiled at Jessica, too.

"What did the tests show?" Cameron approached Peters.

"They're inconclusive. We'll have to go back in and take a look see at what's going on." Peters couldn't be more vague.

Cameron handed House the bag she carried. "Breakfast."

"I'm gonna need it." He turned to Peters. "How soon can you schedule an operating room?"

"I'll go see when one will be available, along with staff to assist, besides you." Peters left.

House removed the container of eggs and hash browns from the bag and sat on the one chair to eat. "Typical hospital eggs." But he ate them, as well as the hash browns and bagels.

Meanwhile, Wilson's breakfast arrived.

While the two men ate, Cameron and Jessica talked in low voices near the window.

"Will you help Dr. Peters and House with the surgery?" Jessica wrapped her arms around herself.

"I'm not sure Dr. Peters will let me. Besides, it's not my area of expertise."

"Oh." Jessica looked at the floor, then lifted her head. "What about Dr. Foreman?"

Cameron pursed her lips. "Maybe."

House crumpled the bag and tossed it into the trash can half-way across the room. A smile flickered on his face when it went in. "What are you two yapping about?"

Cameron replied for them both."Jessica asked whether you and Peters would ask Foreman to assist."

"Nothing wrong with her memory." He smirked at Wilson, but his friend wasn't fazed by it.

"It wouldn't hurt to at least consult with him." Cameron folded her arms

House rolled his eyes upward. "I thought he was your sworn enemy."

"No." Cameron's voice was a screech.

House shrugged. "I guess it's up to Peters. Foreman's been working with his staff."

"That makes sense. What does he really think? Peters I mean." Cameron's arms fell to her sides.

House's mouth made a popping noise. "He's afraid he missed a bleed. We just have to find it."

Cameron nodded. She put a hand on Jessica's shoulder. "They know what they have to do, Jess. And they'll do it."

But Jessica wasn't reassured, at least not based on her expression or body language.

Peters returned. "We're in luck. Operating theater 4 will be available in less than an hour. Let's get you prepped." He pushed Wilson's tray table away from him and looked at the food on it. "Good thing you haven't eaten much of this."

"What...what are you going to do?" Wilson asked.

"We'll put you under, then take you into surgery. Ladies, if you'd care to watch from the observation area, it'll be the one for room 4."

Cameron took that as a signal to take Jessica away. As they followed the signs to the operating rooms, she said, "Lucky you've had experience with watching an operation."

Jessica's face was pale. "Yes. It wasn't often, but there were time the vet I worked for had to operate on an animal. But those patients weren't the man I love."

It took a while, but they found the appropriate viewing area. Staff were clearing the operating room of the remaining instruments and supplies from the previous surgery. Others came in and wiped down the room. The first group returned with new implements and laid them out for Peters. Soon after they left, Wilson was brought in and lifted onto the table. He seemed to be fast asleep.

"He looks so peaceful." But Jessica continued to wring her hands.

Cameron knew it wouldn't help to tell her to relax. Her own breathing had quickened.

Several figures entered, dressed in white gowns, masks, hair coverings, and footees, holding gloves hands in the air. Cameron could make out House's intense blue eyes. The man next to him, most likely Peters, inspected all the implements laid out for him. Finally, the operation began.

Cameron had noticed the scar where Peters cut into Wilson's scalp the last time. The hair around it had already begun growing back, so they had to shave that before they opened up again. When they did, Jessica looked away, and Cameron put an arm around her shoulders.

Peters, with assistance from House, worked on Wilson for over an hour. Cameron's eyes were drawn constantly to the monitors, but was relieved that his vitals didn't waver. Peters finally closed up the incision.

"Let's go down to recovery." Cameron nudged Jessica with a hand on her back.

Jessica gave a tight-lipped nod.

"Don't expect a sudden recovery," Cameron warned. "It'll still take time, but if they fixed any bleeds, his memory recovery will be steady from now on."

Jessica sighed. "I hope so."

As they entered the recovery area, Cameron asked a passing nurse which bay Wilson would be brought to.

"The first one." She pointed, then continued on.

The bay was empty, but not for long. Two orderlies wheeled Wilson in. His eyes were still closed.

"It'll take at least fifteen minutes more for the anesthetic to wear off enough for him to open his eyes and speak."

Before then, House entered. "That wasn't easy."

"It took you and Peters long enough." Cameron waited for him to say more.

"One of the bleeds was obvious but the source was hiding. Your friend has a lot of stuff inside his skull."

Cameron smirked. "Now he's my friend?"

"Isn't he?" House lifted one eyebrow.

"Yes, but he was yours long before I met either of you."

Jessica sighed. "Bottom line, Dr. House, will he be alright? Tell me the truth."

House stared at her for a full minute. Then he shrugged. "Don't know yet."

A hoarse voice said, "House?"

The three of them stared at the bed. Wilson's eyes had opened. When his gazed shifted from House to Cameron he smiled. "Cameron."

She stepped nearer. "Hi, Wilson."

Wilson finally looked at Jessica. "Are you a friend of Cameron's?"

"Yes." She bit her lip. "Um, James. I'm your friend, too."

His eyes narrowed. He looked at House for confirmation.

House nodded. He repeated what they told Wilson before the surgery.

"Hmm." Wilson rubbed his forehead. "My brain's all fuzzy." He looked around the cubicle and turned questioning eyes on Cameron.

"You had surgery and you're still coming out of the anesthetic."

"What...what kind of surgery?" His hand strayed to the bandage around his head.

"A brain transplant," House said with a straight face.

Cameron rolled her eyes. "There was an explosion at PPTH. You sustained a head injury."

"I what?" His confusion hadn't cleared.

An orderly came to take him back to his room, now that he was wakening. House, Cameron and Jessica followed. Jessica tugged at Cameron's sleeve.

"Isn't there anything we can do to speed up James' recovery?" she asked.

"He's still not fully awake. Let's see how he is when the anesthetic wears off." Cameron tried to smile.

When they entered Wilson's room, they found him already back in his hospital bed.

He smiled at them. "How long have I been here? I mean in Princeton General?"

"The explosion was ten days ago." House didn't exactly answer the question.

"And I've been here all this time?" Wilson took it as a response. "Why was I operated on today?"

Jessica started for the bed, but Cameron held her back. Instead, she approached Wilson. "This was your second surgery. You were home for a little while but they had to bring you back in."

Wilson seemed to ponder that. "You two weren't hurt in the explosion, were you?" He pointed to House and Cameron.

"We weren't there." House didn't elaborate.

Something else for Wilson to think about. "What aren't you telling me?"

Cameron started listing everything in her head. "Wilson, we can't feed you memories you can't access on your own." They'd done that before and it hadn't helped.

"Do you think I'll remember without help?"

Cameron looked at House, but he didn't appear ready to respond. The ball was in her court. "We certainly hope so. It might take some time, but it should happen."

Wilson relaxed against his pillow.

Foreman entered the room. "I heard Dr. Wilson had a second surgery."

House motioned him to a corner of the room.

Cameron wondered whether House was telling Foreman more than he'd told her. Or perhaps he didn't want to say anything in front of Jessica and Wilson.

Foreman left without saying anything to her, and House returned to his spot near Wilson's bed.

"Cameron, maybe we should put in a call to Cullen, let him know you're back." House's attempt at nonchalance was transparent to Cameron, but Jessica seemed to buy it.

House and Cameron left as Wilson asked Jessica, "Who's Cullen?"

"Are we actually going to call him?" Once they were in the hall, Cameron waved her phone.

House tilted his head. "Why not? But not until after we have a little talk."

"About what you and Foreman discussed?"

House nodded. "I told him how the second operation went."

"How did it really go?"

"I think Peters did all he could."

"But?" Her stare became more intense.

"But, it might not be enough."

"And you asked Foreman to stand by in case we need him."

House smiled. "I hope we don't."

"What do you think Wilson's prognosis is?"

"A long and slow recovery. Cameron, I know I don't have to tiptoe around this with you. There was enough damage due to the delay in repairing everything in the first operation that his recovery might not be complete." He tapped his cane and looked at the floor. "I blame myself for not catching more sooner."

"Oh." She held her left hand to her mouth but her eyes showed her distress. Her hand uncovered her mouth, and she placed it on his arm. "House, Peters is the one who should have been more thorough initially. Isn't there anything more we can do to help now?"

"We'll watch Wilson's progress. If we don't see any within the next twelve hours, I'm afraid we'll have to call Foreman to take a look."

She nodded, then realized she still held her phone in her right hand. She punch in Cullen's number.

"Dr. Cameron, how goes it in Maryland?" he asked.

"I wouldn't know. I'm back in Princeton and wondered if you can catch me up on where you are with your investigation."

"I'm still looking into the activities of the hospital administrator. Your friend House seems to think I'm barking up the wrong tree." He sounded skeptical.

Cameron smiled, imagining House saying just that. "I'm afraid I agree with him. We've both had issues with Dr. Cuddy, but I doubt she'd blow up her own hospital."

"Even if she was about to be fired?"


	37. Chapter 37

Another chapter for all of you fabulous readers. Hope you enjoy it. Do any of you think Cuddy's guilty? If not her, then who?

 **Chapter 37.**

Cameron was speechless for a moment. "You can't be serious. Cuddy was going to be fired? Why?" She leaned against a hallway wall.

"It seems too many of her best doctors were leaving the hospital," Cullen said.

She could hear his smirk over the phone. "Why didn't she try to hire replacements? There are plenty of great doctors out there."

"The person she put in your Dr. House's position isn't very highly recognized."

She assumed he meant Foreman. "Not yet. He's younger, hasn't had House's experience."

"Exactly."

"But that's not a motive for destroying the hospital. The Cuddy I know would fight for her job." Cameron felt the urge to talk to Cuddy about this, but doubted Cuddy would come clean to her.

"Perhaps you can feel her out, see how she felt about being ousted. You know, talk to her woman-to-woman." Had Cullen read her mind?

But Cameron had time to consider. "Maybe several years ago that would have been possible, but I don't think Dr. Cuddy would be willing to talk to me. If she was, she would have told me about it before this."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." He sounded disappointed. "Well, maybe she told someone else."

Cameron tried to think of who Cuddy would confide in. Sadly, she couldn't think of anyone close enough to the administrator. "I'll see what I can find out, but I can't promise anything."

"Thanks."

Cameron turned to House who'd been eavesdropping on the conversation. "Had you heard that Cuddy was about to be fired?"

His wide-eyed stare told her his answer. "No wonder Cullen suspects her."

"The hospital had lost too many of its most prestigious doctors, including you, and now Wilson turned in his resignation, too." Cameron shook her head. "Cullen wants me to find someone who might know how Cuddy felt about being ousted."

"Thirteen."

"Huh?"

"Cuddy might not have told her, but Hadley's usually up on all the scuttlebutt, or at least she used to be." House smiled. "Bet she'd know how Cuddy was reacting."

"If Cuddy even knows."

"Oh, she knows alright. Even if she wasn't told officially." House's gaze wandered back to the door to Wilson's room. "Let's see whether Thirteen's around anywhere."

"And willing to talk." Cameron matched her stride to his loping limp as they headed to the elevator. "Where should we look?"

House checked his watch. "We can start with the cafeteria."

"So you can get something to eat while we wait for her to show up." Cameron guessed his motives.

He bit back a smile. "Am I becoming that transparent?"

"Only to me." The elevator arrived and they entered.

The car was almost full. Among the others going down was Cuddy. House and Cameron ignored her. Talking to her would be difficult now that they knew why Cullen suspected her.

But she refused to be ignored. As they exited the elevator, she walked next to them. "How's Wilson?"

"Peters operated again this morning. Wilson woke from the anesthetic a short time ago." Cameron kept to safe topics. "You can visit him if you'd like."

Cuddy nodded. "What's his prognosis?"

"Hard to tell," House said.

"Well, tell him I'll stop by this afternoon sometime." She walked off toward the cafeteria.

Cameron sighed. "That was awkward."

They entered the cafeteria and found a table. House sat. "Get me a roast beef sandwich, fries and a Coke."

"What, no pie?"

"This isn't Mo's." His gaze took in the desserts. "On second thought, how bad can it be?"

Laughing, Cameron got in line and picked up a tray. She loaded it with House's food and a sandwich and apple for herself. When she returned to the table, Thirteen had joined House. He was stealing fries from her.

"Thirteen says Cuddy had been acting strangely before the explosion."

Cameron put his food in front of him. "How strange?"

"Her attention seemed to wander when I talked to her." Hadley took one of House's fries.

Cameron smiled. "Why were you talking to her?"

"Who else would I complain to about Foreman?"

"Wait, what did Foreman do?" Cameron took a bite and chewed, her eyes on Hadley.

"What didn't he do? He never did understand House's style, did he? His interpretation was completely sexist and nasty." Hadley shook her head. "I threatened to quit."

"So, you went to Cuddy about him. What did she say?"

Hadley grimaced. "She nodded as if she understood, but then she seemed to be fighting with some kind of demon inside herself. She zoned out, focused on something on her desk, looked out the window, but never looked my way, not once."

House tilted his head. "Could she have caused the explosion?"

"Cuddy? You're not serious, are you?" Hadley shook her head. "The hospital was her life."

"What if it was being taken away from her?" Cameron asked.

"She'd fight for it, hang onto it by her fingernails." Hadley made a fist.

"Yeah, that's what we thought."

"What's this about?" Hadley looked from House to Cameron. "The police don't suspect her, do they?"

House tilted his head. "It's one theory."

"Know what I think?" She didn't wait for them to reply. "I think it was that nurse who was always poking her nose into things."

Cameron knew exactly who she meant. "Why would Ginger do it? She was just nosy."

"Yeah, what did she ever do to you?" House asked. Then he smirked. "Or not do to you."

"She was always angry about something."

"I'm surprised you didn't accuse Foreman." Cameron sipped her iced tea.

"I can't think of a motive for him, otherwise I would." She grinned. "I definitely would."

"I thought the two of you got along, as they say." House's eyebrows danced.

She snickered. "That may have been the biggest mistake of my life." She finished her lunch and stood. "If I hear anything else, or if Cuddy says anything, I'll let you know. It'll be fun playing spy."

They watched Hadley go. "Do you think it was a mistake to tell Hadley the cops suspect Cuddy?"

"She won't blab. More important, what do you think of Cuddy's behavior before the explosion?"

"We only have Hadley's interpretation of it, but Cuddy obviously had something on her mind that disturbed her." Cameron sipped her drink. "Probably the prospect of being fired, but it might have been the loss of Wilson from the hospital."

"You think that upset her?" House was surprisingly surprised.

"Oh, I'm sure of it. She cared for him almost as much as she cared for you."

"He knew she'd be an awful fourth wifey. At least I hope so."

Cameron nodded. "He had to recognize how manipulative she could be. Anyway, he's got Jessica now."

"He has to remember that for it to work."

She stared at him. "You don't think he ever will?"

He shrugged but didn't say anything.

"Even if he doesn't remember everything, the more time they spend together, why, he might fall in love with her all over again." Cameron smiled, ever the romantic.

He nodded. "She's been good for him. Like a breath of fresh air."

"Don't go all cliché on me."

He shrugged. "It's a cliché situation."

"Well, let's get back to them. See how they're doing." Cameron rose and bussed their tray.

They took the elevator back to Wilson's floor. Peters met them outside the room. "I've reviewed the films of our work this morning. Dr. Wilson should be better in a couple of weeks."

"Have you examined him since the surgery?" Cameron asked.

Peters nodded. "I was just in there. His eyes are responsive, his speech is clear. Looks like he'll heal just fine."

"Thank you, doctor." She flashed a smile at him.

"We'll keep him here under observation for twenty-four hours and then he should be ready to go home again."

"That's great news." She shook his hand.

He and House exchanged nods.

Cameron led the way into Wilson's room. He and Jess were discussing House's team in Snow Hill.

"My brother was so happy there, I decided to relocate to Maryland." Jess grinned. "Shelby's a great town with some wonderful people in it."

"Sounds like heaven."

House chuckled. "Oh, there are a few rotten apples. But all they do is make it interesting for the rest of us." They told him about some of the recent events. "Makes me homesick just talking about it."

Cameron looked at him and smiled. He _did_ want to go back with her.

"Why wasn't I planning on joining you all in Shelby?" Wilson asked.

House and Cameron exchanged glances before she answered. "You need to find your own little piece of heaven. In fact, you'd already decided to do that when you resigned from PPTH."

His eyes narrowed. "Yeah, Jessica told me I'd done that. It hardly seems like something I'd do. How did Cuddy take it?"

"Not well, from what we heard."

He nodded. "I wish I could remember."

"Take your time," Jessica said.

"Do the two of you have to go back to Maryland?" Wilson looked mainly at Cameron. "I'll understand if you do."

House looked at the floor, but Cameron wasn't as hesitant. "I'll go back in a day or two, but I'll be only a phone call away."

"You can't keep driving back and forth." House glared at her.

"And you can't stay here forever." She crossed her arms. "Stay as long as you want, as long as Wilson needs you, as long as it takes for the police to discover who really caused the explosion." She kept her voice calm and steady, but the remaining annoyance underneath still showed.

His expression softened. "No. I think I'll go with you."

Cameron's mouth fell open. When she closed it she said, "Really?"

"We know Jessica will call if Wilson needs us. Even Cullen's a phone call away."

"What about his case against Cuddy?" Cameron asked.

"Wait, who's Cullen, and what does he have to do with Cuddy?" Wilson asked.

Cameron's gaze switched to him. "Cullen's the detective investigating the explosion and he believes Cuddy's responsible."

"No way." Wilson fell back against his pillows. "No way."

"That's what Cameron and I told him. If there were a way to find out who caused it, I'd be on it like cream cheese on a bagel, but even Cullen has no other leads."

"What does he think her motive was?" Wilson looked confused.

"Well, the two of us were gone or going and so were other doctors. The board was ready to fire her."

Wilson shrugged. "She'd fight, not blow up her baby."

House nodded. "That's what we told him, but he wasn't buying it."

Just then the subject of their conversation entered. "Wilson, I would have come sooner, but they have me helping in the cardiac unit." Cuddy neared the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Aside from the fact that I can't remember a thing about the last four months or so? Peachy." Wilson sounded more bitter than he had before. "How about you? Your hospital's gone, you're no longer in charge."

Cameron hadn't dared to ask her those questions. She was glad Wilson did. Coming from him, they might be better received. Whether Cuddy would answer truthfully remained to be seen.

Her reply wasn't unexpected. "Coping. But they plan to rebuild PPTH. I don't suppose you'll reconsider."

"Since I don't remember resigning, I don't know what I'll do. If my memory doesn't come back, I suppose I'll be no good to you or anyone else."

"You haven't forgotten your medical training, have you? You're one of the best oncologists I've ever known."

Out of the corner of her eye, Cameron saw House's eyes roll toward he ceiling. Of course, what Cuddy said was true, but she was pouring it on.

Cuddy's beeper sounded. "I have to get back, but I'll stop in again." She left without a word to anyone else.

Wilson dropped his sad face and smiled at House. "How'd I do?"

House grinned. "I thought Cuddy laid it on thick but you did a bang-up job. Unfortunately, she didn't say anything that we didn't already know. They _are_ rebuilding the hospital."

Wilson tapped his chin. "Maybe I should have asked if she'd be the administrator when they do."

"You'll probably get another chance. The fact is, we don't know what the board is planning now."

"Is there any way you can find out?" Jessica asked.

"I wonder if Cullen knows." Cameron took out her phone. "I'll call and ask."

The desk sergeant put her through to the detective right away. "Dr. Cameron, I was about to call you. Are you at Princeton General right now? I'm on my way over to question Dr. Cuddy and a few others, but I'd like to run some things by you before I do."

"Yes. I'm still here." She smiled at House but continued talking. "Why don't I meet you in the cafeteria in, say, twenty minutes? It should be empty at this hour."


	38. Chapter 38

Sorry I didn't get to post this yesterday, but we're in and out of the house all weekend with an assortment of activities. Hope you enjoy.

 **Chapter 38.**

When Cameron's call with Detective Cullen ended, House said, "I assume you want to do this alone."

"It might be best. He might be more open about his theories."

"And he doesn't particularly like me."

Cameron hadn't considered that. But what could Cullen have against House? "I'll go down in ten minutes."

Jessica grinned. "I wonder whether Cullen has a crush on Allison."

Cameron was startled by her remark. She refused to believe it.

"You may be on to something, Jessica." House smirk. "Maybe I should lurk in the background. Scratch your ear if you need rescuing, Cameron."

Cameron crinkled her nose. "You two are being ridiculous."

"How much you wanna bet?"

"And you know House only bets on a sure thing." Jessica was laughing. "Although, maybe it would be better if I was the lurker."

Cameron stared at them both.

Wilson had a hand on his chin watching and listening to them. "I remember something. At least I think I do. Something about lasagna and a bet, and you were there." He pointed to Jessica. "And House and Cameron and..." He shook his head. "It's too vague."

"Wilson, that's great. There were food contests at the Labor Day festivities in Shelby this year, and you made lasagna in the kitchen of the house where our apartment is." Cameron recalled some of the details. "Rocco, one of the team members, also entered, and so did Mo, the woman who owns the diner where we often eat. And my office assistant, Carol, did too."

"Who won?" Wilson asked.

"You did of course." Jessica beamed. "Those other three tied for second."

Cameron smiled. "I'd better go down to the cafeteria. Anyone want anything?" She was sure House would, but Jessica hadn't eaten since breakfast.

"No, I'm good." Jessica looked at Wilson. "What about you, James? You never got to eat your breakfast."

"Do they have Danish? I could really go for a cheese Danish. Or maybe a donut."

Cameron chuckled. "I'll bring a selection." She felt House's gaze on her as she left. But her mind was on what Cullen might want to ask her about. She knew she wouldn't need rescuing.

As expected, the cafeteria was almost empty. A few nurses and orderlies, likely on their breaks, sat in groups drinking coffee. Cameron found a table not far from the entrance but out of the usual main traffic flow. Seven minutes later, Cullen arrived, his mouth in a grim line.

"What's up, detective?"

"I caught a murder investigation out in the 'burbs. Nothing to do with the hospital case, but it's going to eat into any time I might have had to follow the dwindling leads on the explosion." He looked at the coffee machines. "Buy you a cup?"

"I'll get it. How do you like yours?" She stood and he sat, sighing as if he hadn't had a chance to rest for weeks.

"Two sugars, no cream. Thanks."

She left him looking around and got their java, then rejoined him. "So, you said you had some questions for me?"

He nodded, blew on his coffee and took a sip as if he still needed time to phrase what he wanted to ask. "Dr. Cuddy was romantically involved with your Dr. House at one time, right?"

"Yes." She wondered what that had to do with the hospital.

"So, in addition to his leaving, he also broke off that relationship." It wasn't quite a question.

"Yes. But that was last spring. She even came to see us during the summer, and seemed to have accepted the situation." She narrowed her eyes. "What are you getting at?"

"And added to that, Dr. Wilson was leaving and the board was about to fire her."

"So you said. Listen, Detective, Dr. Cuddy hasn't gone off the rails, as they say, because of all of this. She's the type of determined woman who would fight, not try to destroy any hope of keeping her job." Cameron tried to compose additional arguments that might convince Cullen to look in another direction, but she was all out of words.

"Dr. Cameron, if I was you, I'd look out for her. I don't think she likes you very much, especially now that you and Dr. House are in a relationship. You are, aren't you?"

Cameron nodded. If she hadn't known Cuddy for a few years, he might almost convince her. "I saw her earlier today, and she was..." She was about to say cordial, but the truth was, Cuddy focused on Wilson and ignored House and Cameron. "...she didn't threaten me at all." She crossed her arms.

"Hmmm. Well, don't say I didn't warn you."

She had to laugh. "That's a cliché worthy of House or Wilson." She caught a glimpse of the woman in question and told Cullen. "I still think you should keep an open mind and don't hesitate to look elsewhere for your culprit."

He drained his coffee cup. "I have an appointment to see someone in a few minutes. Thanks for meeting with me, doctor."

"If I see or hear anything else that might help, I'll let you know." She stood as he did and took the two coffee cups to the conveyor belt, while Cullen left. As Cameron headed for the line to get donuts and Danish for Wilson and House, she was stopped by Cuddy.

"What did the police officer want?" Cuddy asked.

"Cullen?" Cameron managed to shrug. "He had some questions about former PPTH staff."

"Like me?" Cuddy said.

Cameron kept her face neutral even though she was shaking inside. "Among others. I didn't have anything to tell him. He left rather disappointed."

"He seems to think I had something to do with the explosion."

Surprised that Cuddy was aware of how Cullen was leaning, Cameron was speechless. But Jessica came to her rescue. "House sent me to find out what was keeping you and his cruller."

"I'd better go," Cameron told Cuddy. "I'm sure Cullen suspects everyone who was at the hospital that day." She got into the line with Jessica, convinced Cuddy was staring at her back. "Thanks for saving me. Cullen wasn't a threat, but Cuddy..." She shook her head.

"Did I help?" Jessica asked.

Cameron nodded. "Maybe some of what Cullen's been saying has gotten to me, but when Cuddy approached me, almost demanding to know what he wanted, I felt threatened by her. I've _never_ felt that way with her before."

"Well, I'm glad I could help. But House really sent me."

Cameron nodded. She collected several donuts and Danish in a cardboard box, paid for them and returned to Wilson's room with Jessica.

"There you are." House sneered.

"I was waylaid by Cuddy. Good thing Jessica showed up."

"What did Cuddy want?" House's sneer deepened.

"She saw me with Cullen and wanted to know what we talked about."

"Is she trying to make herself look even more guilty?" He shook his head. "What did you tell her?"

"That Cullen suspected lots of people from the hospital." She smirked. "Everybody lies, even me."

He laughed, then took a chocolate cruller. "Yum."

"Did they have Danish?" Wilson tried to see into the box, but Cameron had to put it on his rolling tray table so he could extract one.

"Can I have one?" Jessica asked.

"Help yourself," Wilson told her.

House was still in a sneering mood.

"There are plenty left for you." Cameron took a glazed donut. "I made sure of that."

For a while they were all busy eating their treats. But after three, House had his fill, at least for the moment. "What did Cullen say?"

Cameron had been dreading this, and hoped he'd been put off from asking by Cuddy's confrontation. "He, uh, he warned me that Cuddy resented the fact that you and I were together, and she couldn't have you."

"What did he think she'd do to you? Blow you up too?"

"He didn't say. It was a general tip-off to avoid her."

He rolled his eyes. "And then she promptly approached you."

Cameron nodded, then looked at her feet. "Funny, I wasn't afraid of her or even suspicious until he said that and the next thing I knew, she was in my face."

Another man might have comforted her, but that wasn't House's way. He did take a step closer to her and offered her another donut.

She lifted her head and laughed. "No thanks. I'm not the chow hound you are."

"What are you going to do?" Jessica asked. "I mean, do you still want to defend Dr. Cuddy?"

Cameron shrugged. "I truly don't know. Mostly, I don't think she did it, but any sympathy I had for her is disappearing fast." She turned to House. "What do you want to do?"

"I want to send you back to Shelby."

"Where I'm safe?" Cameron raised an eyebrow.

"Where you belong. I'll stay a couple of days more to irritate Wilson." He pointed his stick at his friend. "And then I'll be home."

"Home." She smiled. "You still think of Shelby as home?"

"Of course I do. It's where we both belong, where we're building a house, where I have a job that I've neglected too long."

"And Cuddy?" She tilted her head as she waited for his answer.

"At this point, I'm more interested in finding out who did blow up the hospital than in saving Cuddy from herself." He glanced at the almost empty box. "Guess I'll have this last Danish."

Cameron chuckled. "I'll leave tomorrow after we get Wilson home."

"If I can go home tomorrow." Wilson massaged his temples.

"I'll sign the discharge orders myself if I have to," House said around a mouthful of apple and pastry.

Jessica frowned.

"Jess, what's wrong?" Cameron touched her arm.

"I know James will eventually get his memories back. At least I hope so. But...but when will he remember you?"

Wilson smiled at her. "You're the woman who sat by my hospital bed through all of this. How could I forget you?"

"I mean..." She bit her lip.

Cameron felt the need to speak for her. "I think what Jessica meant was that she wished you'd remember the time you two spent together before the hospital explosion and your memory problems."

"I wish I could, too." Wilson adjusted his position. "That had to have been great based on the wonderful woman you are."

"Really? You really think so?" Jessica's eyes lit up.

House groaned. "You mean we're going to have to witness these two falling in love with each other all over again?"

Cameron laughed. "You sound as if it's a fate worse than death."

"Now who's spouting cliches?"

Cameron took the now-empty box from the tray and tossed it in the trash.

Peters returned to check on Wilson again. "How're you doing, doc?"

"You tell me." Wilson pointed to House. "My friend here says he thinks I can go home tomorrow."

"Well, Dr. House isn't your doctor of record, but he's probably right. I won't make my final decision until tomorrow morning." Peters wrote something in Wilson's chart and took it with him.

"Darn." House grimaced. "I wonder what he wrote."

"I'm sure you can find someone who'll let you see it," Cameron suggested.

House seemed to think about that. "On second thought, maybe I want to be surprised."

"I can tell you what it was." Jessica smiled.

"Huh?"

"I was close enough to read it." She winked. "Of course, it was upside down, but that didn't matter. He just wrote, 'patient improving.' We already knew that."

"You'd make a terrific spy." House grinned at her.

Cameron spoke in a soft voice. "Have you ever noticed how you inspire others to spy for you?"

"It takes a knack, but, yeah. Better than doing it myself."

The door opened, and Foreman entered. "So? Do you need me?"

"I don't think so." House indicated Wilson. "See for yourself."

Foreman put the file down to examine Wilson's eyes and reflexes.

House eased over and lifted it.

Cameron looked at him questioningly, thinking 'so much for letting others do the spying for him'.

House finished glancing through the papers before Foreman turned back.

The neurologist grinned. "He's doing very well."

"I still don't have my memories back," Wilson complained.

"Give yourself time." Foreman only confirmed what everyone had told Wilson before.

"Foreman, before you go." Cameron thought about how to phrase what she wanted to know. "Before the explosion, did anyone you know act strangely?"

"You mean besides Remy arguing with everything I asked her to do? That wasn't strange, or at least not different from how she's acted before."

"What about Chase? Or Taub?" Cameron paused. "How about Cuddy or any of the department heads?" She didn't want him to think she was only asking about the hospital administrator.

"Cuddy was upset when House left, but she was finally getting over that when she learned of Wilson's resignation."

"Someone told us that the board had considered firing her," Cameron said.

"They were?" He seemed genuinely surprised. "I didn't think they had it in them."

"Do you think they should have dismissed her?"

The sound that left his lips was more a guffaw than a laugh. "She was one of the worst bosses I ever had."

"Worse than me?" House asked.

"Believe me, the only reasons I stayed were the facts that she brought me back when I didn't handle things well in New York, and that she gave me your job when you left."


	39. Chapter 39

Here's another one – we're getting closer to the solution to the current puzzle. Hope you enjoy.

 **Chapter 39.**

"You stayed because no one would want you," House said.

Foreman shook his head. "Not true. I've had offers."

"So, when PPTH is rebuilt, will you go back?" Cameron asked.

"I-I haven't decided. I like it here. Peters is alright." He smirked. "Not brilliant like you, but I can live with that."

"But it'll mean you don't have your own department," Cameron said.

Foreman shrugged. "Being in charge isn't all it's cracked up to be." He glanced once more at Wilson. "Glad to see you're doing better." And with that, he left.

"Wonder who'll pop in next," House said.

Jessica's phone played. "That's Bart." She walked to a corner of the room to speak with her brother, nodding a few times. When she returned she told them, "All's well in Shelby. I let him know you'll probably drive back tomorrow, Allison."

Cameron nodded. "I knew he could handle the clinic and my students while I was gone."

"Did he say anything about Snow Hill?" House asked.

Cameron was surprised he'd asked. He hadn't been concerned about his team or his job the whole time he'd been there. Or had he?

"Only that Rocco and Heather are filling in where they can, and they haven't come up with a new patient. I'm sure they'd call you if they had to."

"That's House's new team?" Wilson asked.

"Yes." Jessica smiled. "As I told you, my brother is filling in for Allison at the clinic in Shelby."

"And I've met them all, right?"

"Remember, the lasagne contest?" Jessica narrowed her eyes. "The one you won and Rocco shared second place?"

"Oh, yeah."

"And speaking of lasagne..." House headed for the door as a nurse brought in Wilson's dinner tray. "Guess it's that time again. Can we bring you two anything?"

"Jessica, why don't you come with us?" Cameron followed House to the door.

"Go ahead. I'm fine with this, whatever it is." Wilson lifted the lid on his plate and scowled. "On second thought, bring me a turkey sandwich. It has to be better than this."

"Will do." House stood back as the nurse left, he walked out the doorway with Cameron and Jessica close behind.

"So, what are your plans for this evening?" Jessica asked as they waited for the elevator.

"Been a long day," House said, which didn't really answer her question.

"I can't speak for House, but after we eat, I'd like to spend some more time talking to Wilson, and then I'll go back to the condo." Cameron entered the elevator first and pushed the ground floor button. "I want to pack most of my things tonight so I can leave after we get Wilson settled at home in the morning."

"House, are you leaving tomorrow, too?" Jessica looked up to study his expression. They exited the car and walked to the cafeteria.

Cameron also watched his face. He had said he'd go back with her, but he'd also said he wanted to stay a while longer.

"Let's see how Wilson's doing tomorrow. Cameron, have you told Cullen what you've heard about Cuddy, or about your confrontation with her? Because now's your chance." He pointed with his cane at the detective, who was deep in conversation with Chase at a table just inside the cafeteria.

She nodded, then stopped at the table and smiled at Cullen. The other two went on to the food line. "If you have time after you speak with Chase, I have a few things to tell you."

"Cameron, I thought you left," Chase said.

"Wilson had a brief relapse so I came back, but I'll leave again tomorrow since he's doing better." She left them to their discussion, wondering what Chase could tell Cullen, and joined House and Jessica. "After that donut, I'm not very hungry." When they reached the food, she took a fruit cup and a container of yogurt.

Jessica did the same, but House took a hamburger, fries, and a piece of chocolate cake. They found a table not too far from Chase and Cullen.

"Cullen will come over when he's finished with Chase." Cameron took a spoonful of yogurt and added it to the fruit, mixing them together.

"Wonder what he wants with Chase."

"Me too." After one taste of her mixture, Cameron added more yogurt to the fruit. "Have you seen Taub around?" she asked House.

"Only briefly while you were gone. They have him working in the E.R. of all things, and it's always hectic."

"Don't I know it."

They'd almost finished eating when Cullen came over. House stood and took his tray with him as he shifted to Chase's table. Jennifer didn't seem to know where to go, but said, "I'll get James some real food and return to his room. See you later."

Cameron nodded at her as Cullen took her seat.

"I hope Dr. Chase could help you in your investigation because, frankly, the reaction I got from Cuddy was just as I expected."

Cullen took in a deep breath and let it out. "He didn't have much to say that added to what I already knew."

Cameron glanced at House and Chase, deep in conversation, wondering what that was about. "Cuddy insisted on knowing what you and I talked about. She's feeling guilty about something, I think, but I doubt she believes you're looking at her as the culprit."

"Go on."

"Everyone I've spoken to thinks she's been acting oddly, mostly as if she's always upset about something. House leaving and Wilson on the verge of doing the same didn't help, but my reading of the situation indicates there's more to it." She shrugged. "Maybe it's her imminent dismissal from the hospital, but as I've told you, she'd fight to stay, not take revenge. Everyone else seems to think the same thing. No, there's something else that's gotten under the skin of Lisa Cuddy."

"You may be right."

"What? Does that mean you no longer suspect her?" Cameron narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, she's still on my list." Cullen frowned. "But other things are happening at the hospital, lots of undercurrents, and I can't get any information on what they are."

"Have you spoken to anyone on the board?" Cameron asked.

"I have an appointment with the chairman in half an hour. He seemed reluctant to speak with me this evening, but I insisted. I hope he knows something that we don't."

"Cullen, I'll be leaving again tomorrow, after we settle Dr. Wilson back in his condo, but I'll be in touch. And I'll let you know if I hear anything else." She ate the last of her yogurt.

"Is Dr. House leaving too?"

"He hasn't decided yet. But it will be soon if not tomorrow."

"Who did you speak to?"

"Remy Hadley and Foreman."

"When you talked to Dr. Cuddy, what did you tell her?"

"That you probably suspected everyone who was at the hospital that day. That's a lot of people, of course, but I tried to avoid mentioning any single doctor, nurse, orderly, or even patient." An idea struck her. "Have you checked the patients and their families?"

"I have a list, but why would any of them blow up the hospital? How could they? It had to be someone with access to that basement." He was adamant

"And you ruled out everyone who had a legitimate reason to be there?"

"Yes."

"Did you ask any of them whether they saw anyone who didn't belong there?" she asked.

"Are you questioning my ability to do my job?"

"No! Of course not. I'm just brainstorming. It's something we do." But she couldn't turn off her train of thought. "Who had a beef with the hospital? Or with the administrator? Is there a former patient or staff member who thought they weren't treated well? What about personal relationships, besides the one between the electrician and the woman who was killed?"

"If you ever want to give up doctoring, you should think about a job in law enforcement." He chuckled. "You're better at it than many of our new recruits."

She grinned. "Practice, Detective. I'm sure Chief Anderson told you that we helped him with a few mysteries in Shelby recently."

"He said something about that, but I didn't realize how much help you might have been."

"As doctors, we've worked on cases that defied the usual diagnostic methods. You learn to think of alternatives. And frankly, I'm just hoping you're keeping an open mind, that you're not focusing only on Dr. Cuddy."

"She's still our prime suspect because she has a couple of motives, probably means and opportunity, too. But I hear what you're saying about her being the type that will fight for her position, not sabotage it. I got the same impression when I talked to her. Definitely a fighter."

"So who else is on your suspect list?" When he hesitated, she added, "You know you can trust me, right?"

He nodded slowly. "Mostly. But can I believe that you won't share what I say with your pal, Dr. House?"

"You can trust him too."

"Maybe."

She narrowed her eyes. "What...why do you have any issues with him?"

He shrugged. "I hear things from other cops here in Princeton."

Cameron thought of House's run-ins with law enforcement. "That was years ago!"

"People don't change."

"That's what he always says, but it's not true. He's changed. He might not realize it, but he has." She studied the detective. "You don't suspect him, do you? Because he was in Shelby, with me, when the explosion occurred."

"No." Cullen shook his head. "He didn't do it." He came to a decision. "Okay. Dr. Cuddy has had some, how should I put it, questionable choices in boyfriends. And there were several questionable firings recently."

Cameron smiled. "So you have a few people to investigate."

"Yeah, yeah. But right now it's all a long shot." He looked around. "Well, I gotta go or I'll be late for my appointment. See you around, Dr. Cameron." He stood and held out his hand.

She shook it. "Good luck." She watched him leave, still wondering what Chase might have told him. Little remained on her plate. She bussed it all and left the cafeteria.

When she returned to Wilson's room, House and Wilson were deep in conversation, but Jessica was missing. "Where'd Jess go?"

"She's getting me a soft drink from the vending machine," Wilson said. "Cameron, she's pretty great, isn't she?"

Cameron grinned. "Pretty great. I've enjoyed spending time with her, and I'm glad that you're getting to know her again, too."

"Enough chit-chat. What did Cullen say?" House stared at her.

"What if I said he told me to keep it from you?"

House shrugged. "I expected that. So, what did he say?"

Cameron laughed. "Actually, he said he knew I would tell you. He's investigating a few people who might have a grudge against Cuddy – ex-boyfriends, former patients of the PPTH, people like that."

"Does that include me?"

"No, he knows you were in Shelby with me when the explosion was set-up and executed. No, not you."

"There are some patients' families who weren't too happy with how their loved ones were treated recently." Wilson narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips. "I'm not much help when it comes to names, though."

"Your patients and their families thanked you when you gave them the worst news," House smirked.

Wilson smiled.

"And of course, there's Lucas." House smirked. "Boy what I'd give to prove he's behind all of this."

Cameron nodded. "Just because you knew him first."

"Yeah, there is that."

Jessica returned with a tray of drinks, not just one for Wilson. "What'd I miss?"

"Only that Cullen's looking at other people besides Cuddy." Cameron gladly took a bottle of water. "I think we finally convinced him that she wouldn't retaliate by blowing up the hospital."

"And that means our job here is done."

"Does that mean you're returning to Shelby with me tomorrow?" Cameron still wasn't sure what he was planning.

"That'll depend."

"Depend on what?" she asked.

"On what else Chase has to say for himself." House grabbed a bottle of coke. "He didn't feel free to talk in the cafeteria."

Cameron didn't know what to make of House's cryptic remark. She should have been used to it, but maybe she never would be. "About what?"

House just grinned.


	40. Chapter 40

We're off on another trip, this time six days in Colorado, so I don't know whether I'll be able to post again in a week, but I will when I can. Meanwhile here's the next one. Hope you enjoy.

 **Chapter 40.**

House left Wilson's room without saying a word.

"Allison, where's he going?" Jessica asked.

"I expect he's off to hunt down my ex." But she was puzzled himself about why. Come to think of it, she still didn't know what Cullen had expected to learn from Chase.

Wilson rubbed his ear. "Have you spoken to him?"

"Chase? No, not really. I mean we acknowledge each other when we pass in the hallway. No, I take that back, I ran into him a couple of times when I first came to see you. None of the talk was personal. Frankly, I'd forgotten seeing him then."

"I know you worked with him, but didn't realize the two of you had a relationship." Jessica furrowed her forehead.

Cameron laughed. "We were married for a minute-and-a-half. Everyone said I was trying to make House jealous. In retrospect, I'd have to agree." she thought a moment, although the memories were painful. "There was a patient. A despicable man who'd had thousands killed." She shook her head. "Chase falsified lab results and the dictator died. I don't know whether that was the start of the break-up of our marriage or just one factor. Not too long after I divorced him and moved on, left PPTH for Chicago."

"Did you have any feelings for him?"

"For Chase? Perhaps. But they were dwarfed by my desire for House." She smirked. "Whatever got us talking about my former love life?"

"I'm just curious about the dynamics among the people I've met here."

Cameron nodded. "That's understandable. Still, just as Cuddy wouldn't damage her hospital, neither would any of the people House and I worked with there."

"I wouldn't count Foreman out," Wilson said.

She laughed and shook her head. "He wouldn't have the nerve."

House returned, closing the door quietly behind him. A twinkle in his eyes told Cameron he'd learned something juicy.

"So?" She grinned at him.

"Cullen's change in attitude toward Cuddy wasn't because of anything we told him. The Aussie spilled the beans on why she's been acting so strangely."

Cameron crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows.

He snickered. "She has a stalker."

"A what?" Jessica asked.

"A stalker. More important is who that is."

Cameron wasn't going to ask, but Wilson didn't hesitate. "Who?"

"Our old friend, Lucas Douglas."

"Are you sure he isn't just investigating her for someone?" Wilson asked. "Does he have to be a stalker?"

"You know Lucas. If he was watching her for the board or something, he'd be taking lots of pictures and sneaking into her office. No, his interest is in her and her alone, not what she's doing. Chase said Lucas has been spending lots of time in Cuddy's outer office, watching through the glass. Every time Chase or any of the others go to her to complain about something..."

Cameron interrupted. "And that seems to be happening a lot, I gather."

"Yeah, and he's always outside, looking in at Cuddy." A smug expression spread across his face.

"Maybe he's just lovesick."

"Maybe. But didn't you say Cullen is looking at her exes?"

Cameron nodded as she thought about what he'd said. "So Chase clued Cullen in on Lucas' behavior? And it's even stranger than Cuddy's." She rested her chin in her hand.

"I hadn't seen Lucas around lately," Wilson said.

"How would you know? You can't remember anything that happened in the last four months."

Wilson frowned. "True enough."

"What does this Lucas look like?" Jessica asked.

"Why? Do you think you've seen him?" Cameron asked. "He's maybe five nine or ten, maybe even shorter, kind of scruffy, slim."

"When I 'rescued' you from Dr. Cuddy earlier, there was a man of that description hanging around outside the cafeteria." Worry lines appeared on Jessica's forehead.

"I'll let Cullen know." Cameron pulled out her phone.

"Why? He probably has Lucas under surveillance by now."

"Well, just in case he isn't aware of his presence here at Princeton General."

Jessica gasped. "You don't think he'll try something here like he did at PPTH, do you."

"If it was Lucas. Why would he?" House shrugged.

"Why would he blow up PPTH?" Cameron thought about it. "If it was to get back at Cuddy, his job isn't completely over." Cameron punched in the detective's number. The call went to voice mail, so she left a message and put her phone away. "Guess that's all I can do for now." But she started pacing the room.

"Cameron, sit down."

"As long as I'm here, I have to do something." She stopped in front of House. "Tell me what else I can do." But her phone buzzed. She took it out again and smiled. "It's Cullen."

"Should I be jealous that he makes you smile like that?"

She rolled her eyes and answered. "Detective, thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I expect you've been keeping an eye on Lucas Douglas?"

"Why, yes. Although we've only learned about him recently. My people are looking for him."

She nodded although he couldn't see her. "Well, we believe he was here at Princeton General earlier today. He may still be here."

"Who saw him? Where?"

"Dr. Simpson saw him outside the cafeteria." Cameron glanced at House. "She came to find me and saw him watching Dr. Cuddy."

"Dr. Simpson, you say?" He rustled some papers. "I don't have a Simpson on my list."

"That's because she didn't work at PPTH and doesn't work here, either. She's a friend of ours."

"Ah, I see."

Cameron didn't think he did, but she wasn't going to tell him more about Jessica, or whether she only assumed the man she saw was Lucas. "We're concerned that he isn't done."

"You think he'd do something at Princeton General?" He sounded surprised.

"Why not? Of course it would depend on whether he was the one who blew up PPTH. And what his intent."

Cullen sighed. "This complicates things. Alright, we'll find him and question him."

When she'd put her phone away again, House asked, "Feeling better?"

She smiled. "Yeah. I think I am. The ball's in Cullen's court now."

"Did he suspect Lucas?" Wilson asked.

"Yes, although not until recently and he didn't know where he was. So, now that I've done my good deed for the day..."

Wilson chuckled. "You've done several."

"I have, haven't I?" She grinned.

"Don't get so proud of yourself. There's more for you to do."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Oh? What else?"

Jessica snickered. "He probably means you haven't brought him food in the last hour or so."

House ignored her. "Find Taub."

"Huh?"

"We've talked to most of the people from PPTH we know except for him." He blew out his cheeks. "There may be more to this than we think."

"Fine. I'll go look for him now. Where do you suggest I start?" She crossed her arms, facing him.

"I could say cafeteria and while you're there, bring me a bag of chips, but that would be agreeing with Jessica. How about the ER? Didn't someone say he was assigned there?"

Jessica glanced at Wilson, then toward Cameron. "I'll go with you."

"As my bodyguard?"

"Something like that."

The two women left and took the elevator down to the Emergency Room area. Like all ERs, it was crammed with people, waiting to see how their loved ones were after an accident or other trauma. The staff working in the place rushed around from intake to exam rooms. Cameron had an urge to help, but knew she couldn't.

A heavyset woman sat at a desk near the entrance keying in data and handing out paperwork.

"Excuse me, I'm Dr. Cameron. I'm looking for Dr. Taub." Cameron smiled at the woman, whose nameplate read Vanessa.

Vanessa frowned in return. "What do you need him for?"

Cameron came up with an excuse on the spot. "We have a patient upstairs who requires a doctor with his skill."

"Isn't he a plastic surgeon?" Vanessa sneered. "He's needed down here, too. You people upstairs have no idea what it's like down here."

"I understand. I ran an ER for a while myself." She caught sight of Taub as he raced by. "Taub, when you have a minute."

He stopped only long enough to snicker. "Maybe in a year or so?" And then he was off again.

She and Jessica settled in for a long wait.

"I didn't know you worked in an ER," Jessica said. "I'm not sure I could stand the pace, or seeing so much trauma."

"You must have seen a lot working in a veterinarian office, folks coming in with their pets with mangled limbs and accidental gashes and ingested objects."

"Oh, yeah. But it wasn't a steady diet of that. We did preventive work, too. Shots, neutering and spaying, and even insertion of ID chips."

"But you had to put down some badly injured or very ill dogs and cats too, didn't you?" Cameron shivered. "I'm not sure I could ever do that."

"Sometimes it was the only humane thing to do."

They were both silent for a long time, watching the steady parade of patients, some ambulatory, some in wheelchairs and some on stretchers.

Just as they were about to give up, Taub made his way through the crowd to them. "What did you want to know?"

He wouldn't have much time, so she didn't make small talk. "What can you tell us about anything unusual that happened at PPTH in the past couple of months, especially the weeks before the explosion?" Cameron asked.

"As opposed to earlier than that?"

"Why, were there strange things happening for a while?"

"Cameron, you've been gone for some time. It seemed to me that there was a ramp up just before the explosion, but even before that, odd things happened."

"Go on."

He hesitated. "Did anyone tell you about the paint?"

"Paint?"

"Guess not. Okay. I don't know whether it was the board or Cuddy who decided the third floor needed a paint job. Look, you know as a plastic surgeon I'm all about appearances. But who sees the third floor except the patients and their families, and the doctors and nurses who work there, right?"

Cameron nodded.

"Well, whoever made the decision picked a hideous shade of green. Hey, I've worked in medical facilities a long time, and I've seen walls all sorts of colors, but this beat any of them by a mile." He stopped as an intern handed him a folder. He looked inside, grimaced and handed it back with a 'do it'. Then he resumed his tale. "That was the start. Next, graffiti appeared on the newly painted walls. I would have done it myself if only to cover the horrid green color but I'd never do the job this person did. I mean, sprawling designs and images. No one ever found out who did it, or even when or why, but the walls were quickly painted again, this time the same dull beige they'd always been."

"So that's the strangest thing that happened?" Cameron was disappointed. It sounded like a typical week at PPTH and some of the random occurrences she experienced when she worked there.

"Did the graffiti artist strike again?" Jessica asked.

He shook his head. "I'm just getting to the good part. So, no more graffiti, but cans of paint started appearing all over the place. Finally, Dr. Cuddy ordered the cleaning crew to take them all down to the basement. I've often wondered whether having them there contributed to the explosion."

That piqued Cameron's interest. "What about the solvents used to remove the graffiti? Or did they just paint over it?"

"No, they removed the worst of it first, some kind of smelly paint thinner I think."

"And that went down to the basement, too?"

"Yeah. I guess that would have contributed even more than the paint, huh?" He acknowledged a nurse calling to him. "I gotta go. Nice to see you, Cameron. I hear Dr. Wilson's improving." He flashed a smile, and left.

"That didn't help much in learning who caused the explosion, did it?" Jessica started walking toward the elevator.

"Hmmm?" Cameron had been lost in thought, wondering what was behind the painting and the graffiti. Who ordered the first, and who did the second, and why? She was glad she'd left the madhouse that was PPTH when she did, because it seemed to have gotten crazier before someone put an end to it all by blowing up the place. "No, I don't suppose it helped. Just one more symptom of the lunacy." She'd recognized that the atmosphere was toxic when she worked there. Now she knew it was also unhinged.

As they entered Wilson's room, she told House, "I have increased respect for the way Cuddy held the place together, and increased gratitude that you and I escaped."


	41. Chapter 41

We've been home for a few days, but I didn't have much time to write. But I finally finished this chapter today. Hope you enjoy.

 **Chapter 41.**

Cameron told House everything Taub said about the last months at PPTH. "The paint cans and thinner probably contributed to the force of the explosion, but there's no reason to believe that the painting and graffiti had anything to do with either Cuddy's problems or the catastrophe."

He nodded his agreement.

Wilson was in a good mood. "Peters came by to check on my before he left for the day. He said he'd be in early tomorrow to sign my release."

Cameron smiled. "Guess it's time for me to head on back to the condo to get it ready for you, and get some shut-eye."

House nodded. "We'll see you in the morning, Wilson." He took Cameron's arm and steered her out of the room.

"I thought you might want to stay." She studied his eyes.

"And get in the way of Wilson and Jessica becoming all lovey-dovey? No thanks." He punched the elevator button with his cane. "I prefer doing to watching."

She stifled a smirk. She might not know whether he'd go back to Shelby the next day, but they were good and that's all that mattered.

They'd driven to the hospital in his car. It still sat, looking almost forlorn in a relatively empty hospital parking garage. As they drove back to the condo, Cameron's thoughts went back to the odd occurrences Taub described. She wondered whether the message in the graffiti was important, and regretted asking him what it said.

House glanced at her then back to the road. "I'd offer a penny for your thoughts, but I know they don't come that cheap."

"As long as you were at PPTH, did you ever see any graffiti in the building?"

He shook his head. "Maybe it was a sign that Cuddy was losing control, and staff felt they could do whatever they wanted."

"Yeah, you're right." She thought some more. "Guess I'll let Cullen question Taub and some of the others about what it said."

"You think it's that important?"

She shrugged. "Who knows? It could be. At this point I feel like I'm clutching at any and all random bits."

"Let's just hope Cullen has enough additional information to have a better grasp of the big picture."

"All of this has convinced me that I made a good move getting out when I did."

He didn't speak at first, but when he did, he surprised her. "Yeah, me too."

She stared intently at him although his face was mostly in shadow except when they passed close to a streetlight. "So you'd never come back here?"

"To work? No. Never."

That made her feel comfortable enough to ask, "How long do you think you'll stay this time?"

"Not much longer. If Wilson continues his steady improvement, and Cullen is hard at work on the case, there's not much holding me here, especially after you return to Shelby."

Those were words Cameron longed to hear. She grinned.

They reached the condo and parked, then walked together in companionable silence to the elevator.

House unlocked the apartment door and, for once, let her enter first.

It had been a long day. Cameron dropped onto the sofa and kicked off her shoes. "I haven't heard anything from Will lately."

House shrugged and sat beside her. "If something was wrong he would have called." He pointed to her shoes. "Is that all you're taking off?"

She chuckled. "Give me time. I don't see you disrobing." She looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Just say the word."

She giggled. "You're in a good mood tonight."

"I'm always in a good mood."

She guffawed.

"Do that again."

She humphed.

"No, the other one."

"Which one?"

"That sound you made when I said I was always in a good mood."

"Oh, you mean this?" She guffawed again.

"Yeah, that one."

He cupped her chin in his hand and stared into her eyes. "What are you thinking?"

"That you're overdressed." Her mouth quirked. "That I've been thinking too much lately, and right now I just want to feel your arms around me and your skin touching mine."

He smiled. "That can be arranged." He pulled off his T-shirt and toed off his shoes.

She helped him with his belt and jeans button.

He grinned as he lowered the zipper on his jeans and then the one of her slacks.

She unbuttoned her blouse and slipped it off, exposing her lacy bra and the curve of her breasts above it.

He groaned as he reached around to unhook the bra, running his palm down her naked back.

She sighed and slithered out of her pants, then slowly lowered her silky panties.

He inhaled deeply and let the breath out slowly as he caressed the smooth skin of her legs.

She stood and held out a hand.

He took it and rose, then they walked together to the guest room. He lowered her to the bed, then lay beside her. Their hands roamed over familiar territory, seeking the most sensitive spots, bodies pressed against each other, skin to skin. Heat grew both inside and out. Rational thought flew as sexual need took over. All of Cameron's recent doubts were gone.

They both tried to prolong the build up, but reached a point when they could no longer hold back. Their passion drove them to join, to become one. Stroke after stroke until they exploded in ecstasy.

They clung to each other for a long time afterward, her cheek resting against his, but eventually separated.

Cameron settled back against her pillow, a feeling of euphoria filled her. "House, I'm so glad you plan on coming back to Shelby very soon. I know it won't be tomorrow, but soon." She glanced at him, smiled and shook her head. He was fast asleep. Feeling warm and content, she closed her eyes and joined him in slumber.

In the morning, before they left for the hospital, Cameron packed her suitcase. She checked to see that Wilson's bedroom was ready for him.

"No more word from Cullen?" House asked when she met him in the kitchen.

She hadn't thought to check her phone, but when she did, there were no new messages.

Peters was already in Wilson's room when they arrived. He smiled. "I'll sign those release papers now. Why don't you help your friend get ready to leave?"

Once he left, Jessica handed Wilson his clothing. "We'll wait outside while you dress. C'mon, Allison." She and Cameron walked out, but House remained. Cameron took the opportunity to commandeer a wheelchair. By the time she and Jessica reentered with it, Wilson had put on his slacks and button down shirt.

House tried to do wheelies as he pushed his friend to the elevator. Once they'd reached the lobby, House left them to get the car. Wilson got in under his own power and the four of them drove to the condo with Wilson grinning the whole way. "You can't know how great it is to be out of there."

House insisted that Wilson get into bed as soon as they arrived, but his friend objected. "House, I'm not an invalid, only a bit forgetful." He refused to budge from the living room couch.

The women prepared sandwiches in the kitchen and brought them out. "Is House babying you again?" Cameron asked.

"Maybe you should take him with you so he stops." Wilson bit into the half Jessica brought him. "I've got Jess to mother me."

House rolled his eyes. "I can assure you, she doesn't want to be your mother."

They sat around, having a picnic, complete with a bottle of wine Cameron unearthed.

"None for you," House told Wilson.

It was the oncologist's turn to roll his eyes. "Yes, doctor."

Cameron helped Jess cleanup. "Guess I can leave you again to manage those two."

Jessica frowned. "I did such a great job the last time. You had to come back."

"Well, this time Wilson's in much better shape." Cameron grinned. "And he's falling for you again."

Jessica's eyes went wide. "Do you really think so?"

Cameron nodded. They returned to the men, and Cameron said, "Time for me to leave." She started for the guest room and House followed.

He watched her put the last of her things into her suitcase. "Call when you arrive."

She turned to look at him and smiled. Her arms snaked around his neck. He might be reluctant to kiss her good-bye, but she had no such qualms. The kiss lasted a full three minutes. "Something to remember me by."

"Oh, that's not the only thing." He snickered.

Cameron rolled her bag to the front door. "Bye everyone. Be good."

"Who, us?" House asked, making her laugh.

Jessica hugged her. "Thanks for everything."

Cameron walked to the couch and pecked at Wilson's cheek. "You'll be fine," she told him. She took her suitcase down to her car, got in and drove off.

Her trip back to Shelby was uneventful. Every time she stopped, she checked her phone, hoping to hear from Cullen.

Edna sat in her kitchen with her son and his fiancee when she arrived at the house. They all asked about Wilson.

"He's doing much better now. House will stay a few more days, but then he'll come home." She chatted with them for a while, then made her way down the stairs with her suitcase.

It was good to be home, at least her home for the time being until their home was finished, but she wished House was with her. She called him as she'd promised.

"You made it back." Even House could state the obvious.

"Of course I did. In fact, it was an easy trip. Lonely, but easy. How's Wilson?"

"He and Jessica are watching a movie, some chick flick. Makes me feel like an interloper."

Cameron chuckled. "Maybe that will convince you to come home."

"Maybe."

"Any word from Cullen?" she asked. "He hasn't called me."

"No, he didn't call me either. I still don't think he trusts me, at least not the way he trusts you."

Cameron was surprised how insulted he sounded. "Give him a call in the morning. Maybe you'll think of something brilliant to tell him."

"All my thoughts are brilliant."

"Yeah, that's what I mean." She laughed. "I'll talk to you tomorrow." She hoped he'd tell her then that he was returning to Shelby, but she wasn't counting on it. "Any words of wisdom I should pass on to your team?"

"Yeah. Tell 'em to find me a juicy new patient, one with all kinds of fun symptoms."

Knowing that might tempt him even more to return home, she said, "Will do. And House, I won't say the words, but you know how I feel. Goodnight."

She closed the connection but his voice stayed in her head, making her feel less lonely. Should I head to the diner for dinner?, she wondered. There was little in the mini-fridge in the apartment. Edna would feed her if she appeared again, but she was in the mood for Mo's roast chicken and mashed potatoes. Grabbing her purse again, looking at her suitcase and telling it 'later', she climbed the stairs.

The diner was busy. She expected to find the team at their booth, but it sat empty.

Linda grinned at her. "Place is jumpin' tonight. I was almost ready to let someone use the booth."

"Have the kids been in already?" Cameron asked.

Linda shook her head. "Not yet. Do you know what you want?"

"Is there any roast chicken breast left?"

"Yeah, some just came out of the oven."

"I'll have that with a side salad."

"You got it." Linda headed for the kitchen, stopping only to tell those waiting for tables it wouldn't be long before some would be available.

Before Cameron's food arrived, Heather rushed in, followed by Bart and Rocco.

"You're back!" Heather slid in next to Cameron while the men sat opposite them. "Isn't our boss with you? I thought Dr. Wilson was being released today."

"He was. House'll be back in a couple of days. In fact, if you come up with an intriguing patient enough patient for him, it might be even sooner."

The three exchanged grins and Rocco said, "Well, we've got just what you asked for. And it's a doozy."


	42. Chapter 42

I had cataract surgery last week, and I've been working on getting my novella A Bite of the Apple available as an ebook on Kindle and also as a print book, but I managed to finish this chapter.

 **Chapter 42.**

In the morning before she left for the clinic, Cameron called House to tell him about the patient his team had chosen. She could sense him grinning on the other end of the call.

"Yeah, just what the doctor prescribed." He sounded positively excited. "Oh, and I heard from Cullen."

"And?" she prompted.

"And it turns out Cuddy ordered the painting of the walls in the first place, but one of the board members insisted they remove the graffiti and repaint." He paused. "Guess who the board member was."

Cameron had no idea who was on the hospital board. "Ya got me."

"Our old friend, Edward Vogler."

She smirked. "Nemesis, you mean. I thought he was long gone."

"He was. But I guess he decided to make another bid to run things."

"I doubt he'd go so far as to set the hospital up to explode."

"Ya think? Yeah, you're probably right. But someone took advantage of the situation to prime the pump, as it were."

"The person who did the graffiti?" She'd been wondering who that was since Taub told her about the incident.

"Maybe. The hospital didn't pursue finding the culprit beyond a few questions of staff, but Cullen's reopening that case."

"So he's talking to you now."

"Yeah. Quelle surprise. Anyway, he seems to have a handle on several leads in the investigation, and promised to keep us informed, so I guess I'll leave tomorrow."

She grinned. "That wouldn't have anything to do with a fascinating new patient, would it?"

"Among other things."

"Well, I'll see you when you get here." She was already thinking about ways to welcome him home. "And I'll talk to you tonight. How's Wilson doing?"

"He may not remember the last few months, but that's not stopping him from being totally focused on Jessica."

"I knew the attraction was still there, even if the memories weren't. Tell 'em I said 'hi'." She glanced at her watch. "Listen, gotta run. Talk to you later. Bye."

The knowledge that he'd be home the next day carried her through the morning. Carol brought back sandwiches from the diner at lunchtime. After Cameron ate hers, she called House again. "What's up?"

"The kids say 'whatup'."

"Well, I'm not a kid, so how was the morning?"

"Quiet. Too quiet. Wilson slept late, and so did Jessica, so I went out for some breakfast. Nothing else from your pal, Cullen. Felt like I was twiddling my thumbs." What he sounded was bored.

"Well, you'll be home tomorrow and then you can get immersed in the case your team found. Did they tell you anything about the patient?"

"Not yet. Guess I'll find out more when I'm back in Maryland."

"And I'll talk to you this evening."

In the afternoon, Hannah showed up for a session. Cameron had almost forgotten about the teen.

Her mouth hung open, and her eyes were wide. She gulped."Dr. Cameron, you're back."

"Yes, so how have you been? Dr. Simpson said you missed your last session. I'm glad you're here today."

"I...I came back because I hoped you'd be here."

"Didn't you like working with Dr. Simpson?"

"He's...he's a man."

Cameron suppressed a giggle. "Yes, and?"

"I wasn't comfortable working with him."

Cameron sighed. "Hannah, if you want to be a doctor, or work at all in the medical field, you'll have to learn to work with men and women. And you'll have to get over your aversion to giving injections or taking blood." She knew she couldn't continue with the kid if her fears and beliefs got in the way. "You'll even have male patients. Have you thought about that."

Hannah looked close to tears, but it was as if two things warred within her, the desire to help sick people and her background. "I'll try," she said in a small voice.

Cameron smiled encouragingly. "Good. So, let's get started. Please get the next patient."

Fortunately, the patient was a young girl who'd twisted an ankle playing soccer. Hannah relaxed as Cameron showed her how to tell whether the ankle was broken, and then how to tape it so it could heal.

The teen made it through the next couple of hours without recoiling from what had to be done. When she left, Cameron felt encouraged that she'd reconciled her issues.

The day passed quickly in the clinic. Cameron was surprised to realize it was five o'clock and the waiting room was empty. She sent Carol on her way and took a few minutes to clean up the examination room.

House's team waited for her at the diner.

"You didn't tell me that Hannah balked at working with you because you were male," she told Bart.

"Is that why she didn't come the other day? She's a strange kid."

"Her family seemed to have instilled some warped values in her." Cameron shook her head. "She's reluctant to give a patient a shot. Her parents don't believe in them."

Rocco shrugged. "But who's to say they're wrong?"

"How can you say that? You're a doctor. You're not opposed to whatever treatment is necessary to cure a patient, or even prevent disease."

"I'd never tell anyone what to believe. If working with a male doctor or giving a patient a shot is something she's opposed to, then she should pick another career path."

"Like what?" Heather asked. "Where in today's society would she be able to work with only women? I hope there are no jobs like that. It sounds to me that she's been brought up in a very regressive home. It's her choice now to decide whether she'll stick with their teachings or pick and choose which of them is appropriate for her."

"Well, I finally got her to the point where she'll give shots, even if she won't let me inject her."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Bart asked. "I mean, if she doesn't receive them, she won't be immune and can pass on any disease she contracts."

Heather nodded. "Yeah, most hospitals require that their staff be up to date with any available inoculations."

"Well, I still wouldn't push her," Rocco said.

"No. I don't intend to." Cameron decided it was time to change the subject. "So, what's with your new patient?"

"I'm glad House will be back tomorrow. We're not getting very far, except to rule out lupus."

Cameron laughed. "It's never lupus. Of course, except when it is."

The three looked at her through narrowed eyes.

"Sorry, go on. What else did you find?"

"Low hemoglobin and high white blood cell count. Cholesterol's through the roof, but glucose levels are normal." Simpson scratched the back of his head. "The funny thing is, he's a skinny guy, tall and skinny. No muscle mass to speak of. And yet..."

"And yet, there's strength in his hands and legs. Weird, huh?" Rocco shook his head. "We're waiting for House to return so we can watch for his 'a-ha' moment. Then we'll all wonder why we didn't think of it."

Cameron laughed, knowing the feeling all too well.

Linda came to take the young doctors' orders. "Allison, your food will be out in a jiffy."

"So, what's the latest on the explosion at your old hospital?" Heather asked.

Cameron ran her hands through her hair. "There are almost too many directions for the cops to look for answers, especially when people like Dr. Cuddy aren't being completely open. There's a stalker, a series of painting, graffiti and repainting, her imminent firing, and a few other things, mostly revolving around her, but she's behaving as if she was unaware of any of it. Then there's her own odd actions. Frankly, I don't know what to think, except that I'm still convinced she wouldn't try to destroy the place."

"But you and House are leaving it up to the police now, right?"

"There's not much more we can do. We were able to get information from the people we know that may or may not have helped. And now, as you say, it's up to Detective Cullen."

"So you're back here to help Anderson with his cases." Bart giggled.

Cameron sat up straighter. "Why, has something new happened that I don't know about?"

"Oh, no. I just mean if something does."

She nodded, as Linda returned with her food. "Dr. Jacobs, I'm afraid we're all out of the chicken pot pie."

Heather looked at Cameron plate. "Then I'll have what she's having."

"Gotcha." Linda went back to the kitchen.

"We missed the food here, especially since we were often reduced to eating food in the cafeteria of Princeton General." Cameron cut off a slice of her chicken and put it in her mouth, then sighed with pleasure.

"I'm sure that didn't stop our boss." Heather smirked.

"Or Wilson," Cameron said.

"Jessica tells me they're getting close again." Bart's eyes crinkled as he smiled.

"He doesn't remember the last few months, of course, but the attraction between them is still strong." She smiled too. "I wouldn't be surprised if they're back together before long."

"Any idea where they'll go?"

"Once Wilson's a bit more recovered, I'm sure he'll be looking for another position, anywhere but Princeton."

"Will they rebuild Princeton-Plainsboro?"

"That'll be up to the board. Truthfully, I never even learned how much of the structure is left, or what it might take to rebuild."

Linda brought out the food for Bart, Heather and Rocco. "Any idea when the big guy is comin' back?"

"Probably tomorrow," Cameron answered with a grin.

"We've missed him. Anyone need anything else?" They all shook their heads, and she left.

For a few minutes it was relatively quiet except for the sounds of munching and swallowing. Mo's food was always worth the focus of the diners.

A ringing phone interrupted their eating. Rocco pulled his out and answered it as a message came into Heather and Bart's phones.

Rocco rose and told Cameron, "We have to go. The patient coded. They got him back but we should see whether there's more we can do tonight."

Cameron nodded her understanding. "I'll let House know."

The other two joined Rocco. As they left, Cameron pulled out her phone and speed-dialed House, but got his voice mail. "Hi, I wanted to let you know your patient coded but the hospital staff brought him back. Your team is on their way to Snow Hill. Call when you can."

She wondered where he was, why he didn't answer his phone. Two hours later, she still hadn't heard back from him, but rather than call him again, she called Jessica.

Jess answered on the second ring. "Hi Allison. What's up?"

"I tried House a couple of hours ago. The patient had an incident and the team asked me to let him know."

"Oh! I guess he didn't call you when he left this afternoon. Probably has his phone off." She mumbled something, probably to Wilson. "I guess he went straight to the hospital."

Cameron breathed a sigh of relief, but a flicker of anger remained. "I guess I'll just wait for him to come home later tonight. How's Wilson today?"

"He's antsy, doesn't want to be cooped up here. Tomorrow he plans to resume his search for another job."

"That's a good sign. There was a point when he seemed to be worried he could never practice medicine again."

"Yeah, well, his memory on that front is still sharp."

"But still nothing coming back about the summer?"

"Tiny bits and pieces. I should be happy about that, but I'm as impatient as he is."

"Tell him I said hello, and I'll be talking to you again soon."

"Sure."

Cameron ended the call. She was determined to stay awake until House came home, but by midnight, she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. She fell asleep sitting on the couch, and stayed that way until a hand on her shoulder made her jump up.

"It's just me." House turned on the lights.

She shielded her eyes with her arm. "What time is it? How's your patient?"

"He'll live, but I'm beat. It's two-thirty."

She helped him open the couch, stripped off her clothing and fell onto the mattress, promptly falling back to sleep. The arm that snaked around her shoulders moments later made her snuggle against the long body, more relaxed than she'd been all day. She didn't even hear him murmur in her ear.


	43. Chapter 43

Next weekend, I'll be attending Bubonicon, a major science fiction and fantasy convention here in town. I'm gearing up to sell my novel, The Crimson Orb, and my new novella, A Bite of the Apple. Don't know when I'll have the next chapter of this story ready to post. Meanwhile, enjoy this one.

 **Chapter 43.**

It was great to be home, but even more so now that House was there. Cameron couldn't stop grinning the next morning, especially after she and House got in a quick welcome home smexy session.

"More of that tonight, but right now, I've been dying for a big stack of Mo's pancakes with sausage." House smacked his lips.

Cameron tried to smirk at him, but her grin won. "At least I know where your priorities are. So, the patient's stable?"

"He was when I left the hospital last night."

"Couldn't stay away, huh?"

"You know I couldn't." His arms wrapped around her again as he pulled her back down for some more hugs and cuddles.

"Whatever happened to your burning desire for Mo's pancakes?" she asked around deep kisses.

"They can wait just a little longer."

By the time they reached the diner, he'd increased his order to include bacon and eggs, too.

Linda's face spread in one big grin when she saw him. "Welcome back!" She poured coffee and took their orders as the team joined them.

"We checked in this morning and the patient is resting comfortably," Bart said.

House nodded and stirred his coffee.

"We have a bunch of tests scheduled for this morning, but wanted to run the list by you in case you objected to any or had some other ideas."

"That can wait until after breakfast." He rubbed his hands together focusing on the plates Linda lined up in front of him.

"Any ideas why he coded yesterday?" Cameron asked.

Three heads shook in unison.

"Now if you could do that in the water you could try out for the U.S. synchronized swim team." House stuffed a forkful of pancakes into his mouth.

Only Rocco laughed. Bart and Heather just rolled their eyes.

The rest of the food arrived and everyone dug in. "Gotta eat now. Don't know when we'll be able to stop for lunch," Bart said.

Cameron's grin grew wider if possible. So good to have everything back to normal, if only for a while. Who knew what would happen next.

After breakfast, House and the team drove off toward Snow Hill and she strolled to the clinic, but before she reached the door, her phone buzzed. The caller ID told her it was Cullen.

"I understand that both you and Dr. House have left Princeton."

"Yes, we're back in Shelby, Maryland. Actually, he just left for the hospital in Snow Hill where he works. Did you have questions for us, or do you have news?" She squeezed her phone between her shoulder and jaw as she opened the door to the clinic and waved to Carol, sitting behind her desk.

"Both, actually." Cullen sounded anxious. "Do you have a couple of minutes?"

There were no patients waiting. "Sure, how can I help you?"

"How well do you know Lucas Douglas?"

"Not well at all. House knew him, though. He hired him to do some investigating. I can ask him to give you a call later today." Cameron knew Lucas was a person of interest but, "Why are you asking?"

"He's done a flit. Disappeared. I think he knew we were on to him." Cullen swallowed loudly. "Enough people told us he was the one who created the graffiti, and he was also the one stalking Dr. Cuddy."

"That doesn't mean he's the one who caused the explosion."

"No, but we'd still like to talk to him. He was only part of the reason I called today, though." He shuffled some papers. "Maybe you knew a Dr. Layton? Oh, and an Edward Vogler?"

"Dr. Layton was the head of the Cardiac unit at PPTH. He'd been there for a long time. I think he was on the hospital board. And Vogler. I'm afraid I don't have anything nice to say about the man. He was, or rather is a bully. I heard he was on the board again."

"Again?"

"Yeah. Last time he tried to run the hospital using his money to force it to change some policies in the name of cost-cutting." Cameron thought back to that awful time. "He knows nothing about medicine or what needs to be done to save patients."

"The two of them seem to have been behind the drive to fire Dr. Cuddy."

"Oh. I can understand Vogler's motivation, but why would Layton go along with that?" She knew he didn't have an answer. "I know Vogler was the one who ordered the repainting after the graffiti incident. Have you questioned him about it?"

Cullen sighed. "He refused to see us, or rather, he's always busy, has all sorts of excuses."

"Yeah, that's Vogler when he doesn't want to answer to anyone. So, you have Lucas disappearing and Vogler being evasive. Sounds like your job's becoming harder and harder."

"Got that right! Listen, Dr. Cameron, you're a woman and a doctor. How do you think I should approach Dr. Cuddy?"

"Because she's the key to whatever happened? She's a very proud woman, proud of the position she's achieved and proud of her ability." Cameron swallowed. "Just compliment her, but don't lay it on too thick. She's smart. She'll know if she's being played."

"Thanks. I appreciate all the help you've given me, and the suggestions. Has House ever used you as a sounding board? Because you're very good at it."

She laughed. "Don't flatter me. Save it for Dr. Cuddy." The door opened and her first patient of the day, their old friend, Pete, came in. "Gotta go," she told Cullen, and ended the call. "So Pete. What can I do for you today?" She ushered the older man into the exam room, motioning for Carol to find Pete's file.

"It's the arthritis. Actin' up. Tried to take the boat out yestaday, but couldn't bend."

"Well let me see." She had him sit on the examination table and lifted his white T-shirt. Feeling along his spine, she waited until his body jerked. "Did you fall recently?" she asked.

His brow wrinkled. "'bout a week ago I almost went down." He scratched the back of his head. "Don't think I banged it neither."

"I think we'll need to x-ray the area on the right side." At his age, she thought, stress fractures were common enough. "I'll send an order to Snow Hill."

"Should I go today?"

"The sooner the better. And you'll have to take it easy for a while anyway." She watched his reaction. Pete was an active man.

"How long's 'a while'?" He looked worried.

"At least a week. That'll depend on what the x-ray shows."

He sighed. "Guess you know what's best."

"I should have the results by tomorrow if you go now. Then we can discuss if there's anything else we should do. Just take some Tylenol for the pain, OK?"

"Sure, doc. Thanks." He hopped off the table, then winced. The next week would be hard for him.

As she saw him out, she took his file from Carol and made some notes in it. "Carol, please send a request to Snow Hill for an x-ray of his lower back, right side."

Carol repeated what she'd said and Cameron nodded.

The rest of the morning passed quickly. The clinic was busy with the usual assortment of patients, and Cameron focused on them, but in the back of her mind, her conversation with Cullen played over and over. Every previous suspect he'd come up with turned out to be a dead end, including Cuddy, but would Lucas or Vogler turn out to be the one who wasn't?

By lunchtime, she was ready for a break. She checked the waiting room. Empty except for Carol. Cameron smiled. "Care to join me at the diner for some lunch?"

Carol glanced up from her computer. "Sure, soon as I finish entering your notes on Mrs. Johnson." It wasn't long before Carol typed the last word, logged off and stood. "Ready."

They strolled to the diner, not in any hurry. The place was crowded as it usually was at that hour, but there were few times in the day when it wasn't. They slid in across from each other in House and Cameron's booth.

"Have you talked to Will since you've been back?" Carol asked.

"Not yet. House and I planned to drive out to the site this evening to see how the house is coming along. That is, if he's not kept at the hospital because of his patient."

They ordered from a harried Linda. With Chrissy in school, she was the only waitress. Cameron often wondered why Mo didn't hire another person to help, especially during meals.

"How are you doing?" Cameron asked her receptionist and office manager.

"Oh, okay, I guess." Carol rubbed her hands together. "We're still not pregnant, but since we've been assured there's nothing to stop us, we just keep hoping. And trying." A quick grin.

"Is Seth still working for Will?"

Carol's face brightened. "Yes, and he's enjoying it. The two of them have gotten closer." She nodded. "My husband needed that."

They were silent for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts, but finally Cameron said, "Carol, I never asked you, what do you think of Hannah?"

Carol rolled her eyes. "That kid has the weirdest ideas. How she thinks she can be a doctor with all the things she's opposed to, and the ones she's afraid of, I don't know."

"Yeah. That's what I wonder. And every time I think I'm getting through to her, she comes up with something else she won't do, or won't approve, as if she has a say in that. I'm not sure how much longer I want to spend time mentoring her."

"Why don't you have a word with the teacher who recommended you take her on?" Carol scrunched her nose. "Mrs. Nathan, wasn't it?"

Cameron nodded. "I'll talk to her. Maybe she's found a way to reach the girl, to use her desire to motivate her to go against all those ingrained ideas."

Carol shrugged. "Hey, there are just some people who don't hold with the newer ways of thinking. I have a great-aunt like that. It took forever to convince her to get a TV. My folks tell me she even resisted having a telephone in the house." She shook her head. "I doubt she'd ever get a cellphone."

###

House was stumped. He'd been stumped before, but this patient was definitely the doozy his team promised. When he coded the day before, they all assumed it was due to a heart attack, even House. But tests proved over and over that his heart was sound, and there'd been no TIA.

"What else could have stopped his heart?" Jacobs' brow furrowed. "I've never heard of that happening."

"We've checked all of his other organs as well as brain activity. It shouldn't have happened." Magnani looked through the results for a fourth time.

"Run the tests again," House ordered. "We're missing something, something crucial."

Reluctantly the three young doctors rose and left together. House tapped his cane three times as he considered what had happened with the patient and what it could mean. He hadn't talked to the man yet. Perhaps it was time. He strode to the patient's room and opened the door.

The man looked up with a frown on his thin face. "Who the hell are you?"

"Hell or otherwise, I'm your doctor. You were completely out of it when I arrived yesterday, in fact, some might say you were dead. Tell me, do you remember what that was like? Any out-of-body experiences?"

"Are you crazy?"

"Some people probably think so, but it's not my health we're discussing." House studied the man. "You have my team stumped."

The patient's eyes narrowed. "And you?"

"It might take a while, but I'll get there."

"Well, don't wait too long."

"Don't pull what you did yesterday while I'm working on it." House checked the man's vitals. They matched previous records. House shook his head.

"What did happen?"

"If we knew that, we'd be one step closer to figuring out what's wrong with you. All we know is you didn't have a heart attack."

"But..."

"Hearts sometimes stop even if they're healthy. It's rare. Trouble is, half the time we don't know why, and the other half it happens for a wide assortment of reasons." House pinched the bridge of his nose. "You'll have more tests today focused on finding the reason in your case."

The patient leaned his head against his pillow and sighed. "More tests."

House watched him but didn't say a word. He turned and left, none the wiser than when he entered.


	44. Chapter 44

Bubonicon was exhausting but successful and a whole lot of fun. And wonder of wonders, I've finished the next chapter of this story.

 **Chapter 44.**

House met Jacobs in the hall.

She was out of breath. "I was just coming to tell you we set up the PET scan and the ultrasound for this morning. Bart's working on the requisition for the MRIs."

House nodded. "Hope they show something. Anything. And do the tox screen again. Something's not right."

"That's an understatement."

He looked at her with a sneer. "I need some coffee." He wandered off, leaving her shaking her head.

Once he'd purchased his coffee and found a quiet spot to sit in the cafeteria, he pulled out his phone. He hesitated briefly, but then punched in a number.

Jessica answered the phone. "How's it going House?"

"Hasn't your brother been keeping you informed?"

"Uh, not really."

"Good thing I returned to Maryland when I did." He debated about how much to tell her. "The patient's heart stopped yesterday afternoon."

"Oh, no!" Alarm filled her voice

"And we don't know why," he added.

"But you figured it out," she said hopefully.

He cringed. "Not yet."

"If you called to speak to James and ask his opinion, he's asleep."

"Just needed a sounding board. All my usual ones are busy right now. Guess you'll have to do."

"Me?" Her voice rose half an octave.

"You're at the other end of this call."

"Well, yeah, but I don't know whether I can help. Or how." He could almost picture her eyes narrowing. He heard her breathing speed up.

"You can listen."

"I guess." She sounded doubtful.

He rattled off some of the patient's symptoms and the tests the team had scheduled. "If you had a dog who presented this way, what would you do?"

"Honestly, sometimes we had to treat the symptoms because we didn't know what caused them."

"And if the animal didn't respond to the treatment?" he asked.

"It would give us another clue as to what was wrong." She sighed. "I'm not sure this is helping you."

"No, no. It's helped a lot." He ended the call without saying good-bye or thinking about what she made of it all. He started to get up when he spied someone he knew in the doorway to the cafeteria. He motioned Pete over. "What are you doing here in Snow Hill?"

"Doc Cameron sent me to get a x-ray of my back. Been havin' trouble bendin' lately." He tried to reach behind. "Doc found a right painful spot, said I should come here today, get it looked at."

"Hungry?"

"Wouldn't mind a cup o' coffee."

"Sit here and I'll get us some." House didn't usually spring for coffee or anything else for anyone, but Pete was special. He got them each a slice of pie and a cup of java and returned to the old man.

Pete sipped at the brew and made a face, but kept drinking. He swallowed and said, "Doc says she'll have my results tomorrow."

"I'll make sure of that."

The two of them chatted for a while until Pete pushed his empty cup and plate away. "Well, I gotta get back to Shelby. Thanks, Doc. See ya."

House watched him go, studying the way he walked, his usual rolling gait, then returned to his office.

When Magnani appeared in the doorway a moment after he arrived, House told him, "Treat the symptoms, one by one, and observe how the patient responds."

"Won't that hide what we're trying to reveal?"

"Au contraire, mon ami. It'll give us another clue as to what's wrong," House said, mimicking Jessica. "Just do it."

Magnani did an about face and hustle off. All House could think was, 'Wilson picked a good one this time.'

###

The clinic was quiet that afternoon. Cameron took the opportunity to take out her phone and check in with a few people she hadn't seen for a while, beginning with Will. "House and I plan to drive out to see the construction either this evening or tomorrow."

"You'll be amazed at how far we've gotten, but I have to warn you, if you want your requests to be a surprise for him, you'll have to steer him away from the bathroom." Laughter filled his voice.

"Oh." Her excitement increased. "You were able to do all of that?"

"Yup. I'd, mmm, stick to the kitchen, living room and bedroom for now. On second thought, the bedroom might be off-limits for now, since he might peek into the bathroom."

"Sure." She thought about it. "Although, if he sees the additional amenities it'll just be an early surprise."

"True. So, how's Dr. Wilson?" he asked.

"Improving. That's part of the reason House and I are back in town."

"If the weather holds we'll be finished in a month."

"Guess we'll have to start looking for furniture." They'd need so much. "We have some pieces in storage, mostly House's, but we'll need a lot more to fill that place."

Will chuckled. "I'll be talking to you."

Cameron's next call was to Detective Cullen in Princeton.

"I'm on my way out," he said. "Anything important?"

"No, I just wanted to find out if you've made any progress."

"Two steps forward, one back, I'm afraid. We confirmed that Douglas did the graffiti, but still haven't located him. Vogler admits he was behind the plan to fire Dr. Cuddy, but insists he wouldn't do anything to destroy the hospital."

She'd expected as much. "Well, thanks."

"Not at all. With the help you've given us, we owe you. Listen, gotta go."

"Okay. I'll talk to you again." She giggled after she ended the call. There seemed to be a lot of that going around, first Will said it to her and now she said it to Cullen. But where could Lucas Douglas have gone? Did he do more than stalk Cuddy and spray graffiti on the hospital walls?

For the next couple of hours, a steady stream of patients came through the clinic. Cameron realized how much she loved working there. She rarely felt the tension she did in New Jersey. It had even been present during her recent visit. Almost everyone here was pleasant, the atmosphere was less harried.

Before she knew it, closing time arrived. She had a feeling of accomplishment, that she'd helped a few people, and they were grateful.

A phone call from House, though, broke her mood. "I'm gonna have to stay a while longer. None of our tests were conclusive."

Cameron knew he only stayed past five if a case got under his skin, as this one apparently had. She sighed. "I'll see you when I see you, then." There went her plans for the evening, a drive out to the house, christening of a room (or two), dinner on the way back to the apartment, and another round when they got there. With a sigh, she wondered what to do instead.

She found Mrs. Nathan's file and looked up her phone number. Talking to the teacher about Hannah might pass the time and help her in her sessions with the teenager.

"Hello?" Mrs. Nathan answered.

"Mrs. Nathan, it's Dr. Cameron. How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing well. Thanks."

Cameron wasn't certain how to approach the subject. She didn't want to seem too negative about the girl. "I wonder if you have some time to talk about Hannah."

"Oh. Well, I was just trying to decide what to do for dinner."

"Why don't you meet me at Sal's? We can talk there, and at the same time, each of us can eat."

"What a lovely idea! I'll see you there in, say, an hour?"

"Perfect." Cameron smiled as the call ended. It wouldn't be the evening she planned, but at least she'd have a good meal and perhaps some enlightening conversation.

Before she drove to Sal's, she made one more call. Jessica answered on the second ring.

"I spoke to House earlier. He needed a sounding board for his case, and you weren't available."

"Oh!"

"I doubt I helped him much."

"It must be a very complex case. He's staying late at the hospital." Cameron knew she shouldn't resent that, but knowing so didn't make it any easier. "How was Wilson today?"

"I think he misses having House around. I tried to distract him, don't know if I succeeded."

Cameron chuckled. "From what I could see, with you there, he doesn't need House."

"We are getting a bit closer. It may not be the way it was during the summer, though."

"Still no more memories coming back?"

Jessica sighed. "No. Oh, here he is. Did you want to talk with him?"

"Sure." She heard Jessica tell Wilson who was on the phone, and the next voice she heard was his.

"Glad I didn't miss your call. Jess says House called earlier, but I was sleeping. Still seem to do that a lot lately."

"It'll pass. Remember, besides everything else, you're still recovering from surgery."

"Yeah, I guess that's part of it. So, House caught a baffling case, huh?"

"So baffling he stayed at the hospital this evening."

Wilson laughed. "Now that doesn't happen often."

"No."

"Have you heard anything more about the PPTH investigation?" he asked.

"As the detective says, he takes two steps forward and one backward."

"At least that's progress. I'd still hate to think that Cuddy's involved."

"Despite how I feel about her personally, so would I. Cullen does have a few other suspects, though. Perhaps one of them did the deed." She wasn't sure which she would bet on. "We'll keep in touch. It was great talking to you."

"Bye, Cameron."

Even with all the phone calls, Cameron arrived early at Sal's. "I'm waiting for someone," she told the hostess at the podium. "We'll need a table for two, in a quiet corner."

The hostess raised one eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

Five minutes later, Mrs. Nathan arrived. Her face brightened when she spotted Cameron waiting for her. "I hope you haven't been here long."

"No. I was a little early."

The hostess seated them at a table in the back near a wall.

Cameron waited until they'd ordered before broaching the subject of Hannah. "What can you tell me about Hannah's background, Mrs. Nathan?"

"I thought that's why you wanted to meet. And please, call me Helga." She pursed her lips. "She comes from a very strict home, you might call it old-fashioned."

Cameron had forgotten how pleasant her voice was. "Yes, I'd gathered that."

"Oh, dear. I encouraged her interest in medicine because I hoped it would show her a more modern way of looking at things, but I gather from your interest that hasn't been the case."

"She balked at such things as giving inoculations, drawing blood, even working with male doctors."

Olga sighed and frowned. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Continue to encourage her. I might ask a couple of girls I know who are her age to work on her too. The more people there are who do that, the more apt she'll be to break from her family's traditions and beliefs. Maybe it's wrong to do that, but I think for her to be successful, she has to learn which of her core values she should keep and which are just, as you say, old-fashioned."

Their food came, ravioli for Cameron and chicken piccata for Olga Nathan.

After she'd eaten a few bites, murmuring in delight after each mouthful, Olga asked, "Who are the two girls?"

"Chrissy Lindquist and Rachel Davis. I expect you know them." Cameron took a bite of garlic bread.

"Oh, yes. Lovely girls. Very smart and kind, too. I wish Hannah was more open like they are, less guarded."

Cameron swallowed. "Before I started working with Hannah, they described her as quiet, but it's more than that, isn't it?"

Olga exhaled slowly. "I worry that Hannah's parents are more than strict."

"What do you mean?"

She shook her head. "She hides it with long sleeves, even now when it's still quite warm, but I sense they believe in corporal punishment."

Cameron grimaced. "I was afraid of that."


	45. Chapter 45

Thanks to Pyewacket for pointing out that I was inconsistent in the last chapter with Mrs. Nathan's first name. It should be Helga, and that's what I'll be using from now on.

 **Chapter 45.**

After dinner and her talk with Helga Nathan, Cameron was more convinced than ever that she had to help Hannah. If she could get the teen to talk to her, it might open the way to providing what she needed. But that was a big if.

She reached the house at about seven thirty. Edna was drinking tea in the kitchen and smiled when Cameron walked in. But her eyes held question marks. "Where's Dr. House?"

"He'll be home later tonight. The case is more complex than most."

"You don't seem upset by it."

"Not upset, just resigned. Anyone in a relationship with a doctor has to expect evenings like this." Cameron sat opposite the older woman. "You have a knack for getting people to open up to you about personal problems. How do you do it?"

"Is that a general question, or do you have someone you want to get through to?" Edna downed the last of her tea.

"I may have told you that a teenage girl, a high school student, is coming to the clinic twice a week so I can mentor her, show her what it's like to be a doctor." Cameron got up and got herself a glass of water. The ravioli had made her thirsty. "The problem is she's had a rigid upbringing, and has some deeply ingrained beliefs that go counter to what a doctor has to do. And I'm afraid she may have experienced something else at home that reinforces her ideas about what's right and wrong. But she hasn't said anything to me or to her biology teacher."

"So you're looking for a way to get her to speak up?" Edna shook her head. "That might be difficult, even impossible. You have to gain her trust first, of course, enough so that she can drop whatever shields she's erected to protect herself from disapproval and censure."

"That makes sense." Cameron sipped her water thoughtfully.

"Would you like a cup of tea instead?" Edna started to get up.

Cameron held up a hand. "Oh, no. Sit. I'll finish this glass of water and then go downstairs to think about this some more."

"Well, if I come up with something, I'll let you know."

"Thanks, Edna." Impulsively, Cameron hugged her.

Edna smiled at her. "Anytime."

Cameron realized as she descended to the apartment that she'd gotten through House's defenses. Surely those of a girl couldn't be as impenetrable. She tried to put herself in Hannah's place, difficult since she didn't have the same strongly-held beliefs. Who would she tell her deepest secrets, or would she tell anyone?

She dropped her purse and keys on the counter and dropped onto the couch. It felt lonely, as it had when House was in Princeton. At least now he was only one town away in Snow Hill.

Did Hannah feel alone? She'd have to ask Chrissy and Rachel whether Hannah had friends, and then perhaps talk to those kids. Cameron might not think the way Hannah did, but she was a bit of a loner in high school, too. She hadn't trusted anyone with her thoughts, her secrets. Hadn't even written them in a diary.

Cameron kicked off her shoes and tucked her feet under her. She leaned over to rest her head on her hands on the armrest of the couch, and was out like the proverbial light. When she woke it was to a tender kiss on her cheek. Stiff from the position she'd slept in, she still stood and threw her arms around House.

"If that's the greeting I'll get, I'll stay late at the hospital more often."

"So, have you solved the case?" She knew the moment the words left her mouth that he hadn't.

He confirmed it by shaking his head almost violently. "Nothing make sense about this case. Thought I'd sleep on it and look at it again from another perspective in the morning."

She sat again and patted the spot next to her.

He sat, clasping his hands together and staring straight ahead.

"Wanna talk about it?"

He shook his head again, slower this time. "Maybe in the morning. I'm all talked out."

She could see the case had gotten to him more than most recently, almost as much, in fact, as Wilson's injuries from the explosion at PPTH. His interest in what happened in New Jersey didn't come from a loyalty to the hospital, she knew, but rather his relationship with his BFF. "I talked to Jessica and Wilson this evening. He was sorry he missed your call earlier."

House scratched his ear. "I thought what Jessica said would help, and to some extent it did, but I need..." He exhaled through mostly closed lips.

"You said you wanted to sleep on it." She stood and reached out a hand.

He took it and stood, then started to undress while she opened the couch. He watched her, but said, "I'm to tired for more than sleep."

"That's okay." She stepped toward the bathroom. "Be right back." When she returned, she wore a nightshirt. They fell on the bed together and held hands as they both fell asleep.

When she woke and saw him stirring, she wanted to ask whether he'd had any epiphanies during the night, but knew he'd tell her if he had. Instead as they showered together, she filled him in on her inquiries about Hannah. "I want to talk to Chrissy and Rachel about her again."

He traced a trickle of water on her breast. "It can wait."

She grinned. "You missed what I had planned for last night."

"Hope you didn't start without me."

She winked. "Would I do that?"

"Will this morning do?"

"Afraid not. But I'm counting on you getting home early enough tonight."

"Then I'm just going to have to solve this case."

Cameron nodded and stepped out of the shower.

House was right behind her. He dried her off, taking his time as he ran the towel over her breast and down her back to her derriere.

She grabbed another towel off the rack and patted him dry, lingering when she reached her favorite part of him.

They each wrapped their towel around themselves as they returned to the bed but dropped it. Facing each other they pressed against each other and became lost in the sensations.

Cameron felt his arousal. It was all she needed to amplify her own desire. She stretched out across the tangled sheets and pulled House down with her. Still warm from the shower, her skin temperature rose even higher. "Now House."

He smiled as he entered her, their hips rocked together until fireworks exploded. They held each other close for a time until they were completely spent.

As she pulled away, Cameron laughed. "I think I need another shower."

They took a quick one, then dressed and headed for the diner.

"You just missed your team," Linda told them as they took seats opposite each other in the booth.

"Good," House said.

Cameron rolled her eyes. "Will Chrissy be in at all today?"

"Not until dinner time, I'm afraid. It's gettin' harder and harder to handle all the people myself."

"Why doesn't Mo hire someone else?"

"Never has, probably never will." She left to turn in their orders and wait on other customers.

"At least the people in this town are patient with her. I can't think what it would be like if they weren't."

"Quit worrying about Linda. She's managed for years without your interference."

"I'm not interfering. She needs help. With Chrissy in school, with a bigger workload than ever, she doesn't have as much time to help out."

"Why'd you want to talk to her anyway?" House added more butter to a piece of toast.

"I told you I'm curious about Hannah Briggs, one of the two students I've been working with. Chrissy knows her from school and she might be able to tell me some things the teacher who recommended Hannah doesn't know."

"Got your own pet project?" He smirked.

"You can't be the only one, except yours is a medical case."

"You haven't forgotten the explosion at PPTH already, have you?"

"Well, no, but mainly your interest in that has waned now that Wilson's doing better."

He nodded. "True. But I'm still curious whodunnit."

She smiled. "So am I. As long as we keep the communication lines open to Cullen, we should learn anything he does."

"Ran into Pete at the hospital. You get his results yet?"

"No. I'll let you know what they show."

House became lost in his bacon and eggs, or maybe it was his thoughts for a while.

Cameron took the time to eat her own breakfast, and mull over the questions she'd ask Chrissy later. She finished the last bite of her eggs and said, "Meet me here after work. After dinner, we can ride out to see the house."

"Was that what you had planned for last night?"

"Oh, part of it," she replied with a mischievous smirk.

He took one last gulped of coffee and stood. "Hope my case is solved by then."

"I'm sure you'll do your best." She watched him leave, had another cup of coffee and left the diner with a wave to Linda.

When she reached the clinic, Carol was already there. She practically bounced with excitement. "Guess what?"

Cameron pretended to study her. "You're pregnant." It was the only thing that would make Carol so elated.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Only from the big grin on your face and the way you exude happiness."

"Oh, Allison, you can't imagine how I feel."

A ghost of jealousy filled Cameron. "No, I can't. Did you want me to do a pregnancy test?"

"Well, I did two home tests to confirm, but yes. Please. I don't want there to be any doubts."

"Does Seth know he's going to be a father?"

Carol's head bobbed up and down like a bobble-head doll. "And he's delirious."

"Well, let's get those samples so we can test your blood and urine for hCG."

"That's the hormone that's produced when you're pregnant, right?" Carol continued to beam. "It's not too soon?"

"When did you last miss a period?"

"Last weekend."

"Good. hCG begins to develop about six days after fertilization and then builds in the body immediately after that, but it's best to test for it a day or more after a missed period."

Carol's body shivered. "This is so exciting!"

Cameron chuckled. She was happy for her friend. She handed Carol a cup and had her fill it with a sample in the small bathroom off the examination room. Cameron also took some blood to test. "I'll have to send the blood to a lab, so it will take longer to get the results of the blood test."

"But the urine?"

"I'll test that here, and we should have immediate results." Cameron dipped a test strip into the cup. Within a minute they had the results. "I'd say this confirms it." She grinned as she showed Carol the positive strip.

###

House found his team waiting for him in their conference room. "Well?"

Jacobs frowned. "We've gotten the rest of the results from yesterday's tests. They seem to rule out everything we've proposed." She pointed to the list on the whiteboard.

"And don't tell us to run them again." Magnani folded his arms across his chest.

"No. We start all over." House erased everything that was on the board. "Head down to toes, what are the symptoms?" He drew a long blob of a figure and as they rattled off symptoms, low hemoglobin and high white blood cell count, high cholesterol, but normal glucose, thin, lack of muscle mass, he listed them with lines to the figure, then stood back and looked at what he had.

"What are we looking at?" Simpson asked.

"You tell me," House said. "It's irrational, among other things. None of the other symptoms could be related to the episode where his heart stopped, not even the high cholesterol." He circled that.

"And the most recent EKG doesn't even show that it ever happened." Simpson scratched his head.

Jacobs checked her notes. "The white cell count remains high, even without any infection."

"Can we rule out any of the symptoms as having unrelated causes?" Simpson asked.

"Like which?" House stared at him.


	46. Chapter 46

Sorry I wasn't able to post this sooner. I had cataract surgery on Thursday afternoon, and can finally see well enough to finish this.

 **Chapter 46.**

Simpson returned House's stare. "Uh, like the high cholesterol. Probably eighty percent of the population has that from the diet we eat."

House smirked, then put a line through that symptom. "Any other bright ideas? No? Then let's start again. What are his current CBC levels? Has anything improved since he's been hospitalized? You know the drill."

The team scurried off to get the patient's current stats. House took a couple of books off the shelf and leafed through them, then did a few computer searches. All the while his frown deepened. They were missing something.

###

Cameron sent Carol's blood sample off to the lab she used in Snow Hill, but she was certain her friend was pregnant. She was happy for her, even though she wished someday it would happen to her. But she doubted House felt the same, and she'd have to live with that. Her life was full even without a child.

Instead, as she tended to her patients, she also focused on revising her plan for their night, hoping House would solve his case and come home for dinner. She formulated the questions she had for Chrissy about Hannah. And in the back of her mind she tried to put together all she knew about the explosion at PPTH.

The morning passed quickly. At lunchtime, a still jubilant Carol said, "Let's have lunch together at the diner."

"Sure." Cameron grabbed her purse and walked back across the alley with her assistant.

The first person they saw as they entered was Pete, who was heading out the door.

"Pete, do you have time to come by later today so we can discuss your x-rays?" Cameron smiled at the man, although she knew he wouldn't be too happy with what they showed.

"Sure, Doc. How 'bout two o'clock?"

"Perfect. We'll see you then." When he was gone, Cameron sighed.

"Is there a problem?" Carol asked.

"Besides a compression fracture in one vertebrae, there's a small growth that'll have to be biopsied."

For the first time that day, Carol's grin was gone. "Oh, no! He's such an active man. He won't take the news any too well."

Cameron nodded. "That's why I want to give it to him in private while he's sitting down. But there are so many people in this town who'll want to help him while the fracture heals."

"At his age that might take a while."

Linda deposited their drinks on the table and took their orders.

Cameron watched her leave. "Yeah. The key will be having him take it easy for that time and to accept help. The growth is another story. I'm no expert, so I don't know whether it's cancerous, but if it is, it should be removed."

"If he'll be okay that." Carol took a sip of her Coke.

"You know Pete. He's very strong-willed." Cameron shook her head. "I don't know what he'll decide if it comes to that."

They were silent until their lunches arrived. Then they turned their conversation back to Carol's pregnancy.

"I can't wait to tell my mother, but I wanted to be sure first." Carol's grin was back.

"I've been thinking. Would you be willing to work with Hannah? Show her how to keep patient records, that sort of thing? She'd be doing something in the medical field that won't involve the activities she's so opposed to."

Carol stopped with her fork halfway to her mouth. "Allison, isn't that avoiding the problem instead of solving it?"

"But it will help when you go on maternity leave." Cameron waved her fork in the air. "Maybe seeing some of those records will give her a reason to overcome her prejudices."

Carol shrugged. "We can try it. There's nothing in my work she'd object to."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that. But it'll gauge where she draws her line. She'll be in tomorrow, and I'll broach the subject with her, see how she responds."

They went back to their food. Cameron smiled when she noticed that Carol finished everything on her plate.

Back at the clinic, the afternoon was full with a steady flow of patients. With each one, Cameron wondered how Hannah might react to what she had to do.

At two precisely, Pete came in. Cameron sat him down on the examination table and showed him the x-rays. "This is why you can't bend." She pointed to the break and then to the growth.

Pete shrugged. "Don't mean a thing to me."

"This crack in your vertebrae will heal by itself, given time, but the growth needs to be biopsied."

He pulled back. "Will it hurt?"

"We'll numb the area around it, insert a needle, and pull out a sample for study."

"Don't sound too bad." His forehead wrinkled. "Then what?"

"Once we know whether it's benign or not, we might have to go in and remove it."

"Cancer, you mean." He inhaled deeply, then nodded. "Not sure I want you goin' in."

She placed a hand on his shoulder. "But after, you'll be able to bend again, be able to do some things you haven't been able to manage for a while."

He swallowed. "You're sure?"

"Pete, if we don't do this now, and it is cancer, it can spread, cause all sorts of pain." She looked into his eyes. "You don't want that, do you?"

"No, ma'am." He slid off the table. "So, where do I get this needle thing?"

"The best place is at the hospital, since the growth is internal. If it was on the surface, I could probably do it, but I'll ask House to set you up for it at Snow Hill Mercy."

"Where I got the x-ray? Yeah. That'll be fine. Thanks, Doc." But he wasn't smiling as he left.

Cameron thought about all the times patients thanked Wilson when he gave them bad news. So this is how it felt to him. She wished he was in Maryland to work with Pete, but there were a number of good oncologists at the hospital. House would know which one was best. House. Time to give him the bad news, too. She checked the waiting room, but no patients filled the seats, so she took out her cellphone and punched House's number.

"Busy now," he answered.

"I knew you'd want to hear about Pete's test results."

"Tell."

"The x-rays confirmed the fracture I suspected, but there's something else."

"I'm listening."

"A growth on his spine. I'd like you to set up a biopsy for as soon as possible, and ID the best oncologist at Mercy."

Silence, then, "Will do. Without Wilson here, I'll have to scout around." His voice was flat.

"Yes, I was thinking the same thing."

"Thanks for telling me."

"You're the second person who said that." But it wasn't a laughing matter.

"Let me guess. Pete." He paused. "I'll set up the biopsy for tomorrow."

"It's my turn to say 'thank you'. I hope the growth is benign, but no sense ignoring it."

He sighed. "I'll see you for dinner, even if we haven't solved our case by then."

"Don't you think you will?"

"We're getting nowhere fast. No matter how we look at his symptoms and test results, they don't make sense. And believe me, we've looked at them every which way."

"I'll let you get back to it. They're probably lining up outside my door." She ended the call and opened her door. Sure enough, three patients waited for her. She smiled at them all, and asked Carol which of them was first.

###

House took a few minutes to think about Pete's health issues. The man had to be pushing eighty-five, but he was usually as spry as a much younger man. Take away his health and he wouldn't be the same person.

His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Jacobs and Magnani.

"We compared the patient's vitals and blood analysis from the time he was admitted with the readings now," she said. "The only thing that changed was a slight decrease in the white blood cell count."

"We did a new ECG," Magnani added. "It confirmed it wasn't a heart attack that caused his heart to stop. It was an electrical impulse conduction problem. There may be a blockage."

House nodded. "But the other symptoms remain the same? There's no connection."

Magnani shook his head. "But we can go back to the original list and factor out the heart failure from our investigation."

"We still have to make sure it doesn't happen again." House led the two team members into the conference room. He erased the heart stoppage, then re-wrote it to the side and stood back to study what was left. A scratch of the back of his head, accompanied by a grimace told the team he was still as baffled as ever.

Jacobs pointed to the board. "Do you think his cholesterol level isn't connected to the rest?" That too was now on the side rather than being listed with the other symptoms.

"What do you think?" House said.

"It's common enough these days for someone to have an elevated cholesterol level. Eventually it could cause health problems, but his isn't outrageously high."

"Simpson said the same thing. So, what do you propose?"

"Focusing on the biggest anomaly, a high white cell count without the presence of an infection."

House pointed his cane at the door. Without specifically agreeing with her he said, "Go forth and investigate."

Her mouth quirked as she saluted him. "Aye, aye, captain."

"That's Doctor Captain, sir."

She giggled and repeated what he'd said, then left. Magnani remained, studying the whiteboard.

"See something you like?" House asked.

"No. Only a ton of things I don't like." Magnani squinted, as if that would make sense of the symptoms. "If we could find two things that connected, but none of them do."

But something tickled the back of House's brain, something he'd read or heard. He couldn't even remember where. He told himself to be patient, it would come to him, but how much longer would it be?

To distract himself, he needed to ask around about the best oncologist in the hospital in case Pete would need a cancer doctor. "Magnani, set up a biopsy appointment for tomorrow."

The younger doctor's brow furrowed. "Our patient doesn't need a biopsy."

"It's not for him. It's for Pete Carver."

"The old fisherman from Shelby? Since when does he need a biopsy?"

"Cameron had his back x-rayed. It showed a growth on his spine."

"I'll go immediately." Magnani was halfway to the door in a flash.

"What do you know about the oncologists here at Mercy?" House said.

"Glaser's not bad, but my money would be on Knopf."

The names were familiar to House, although he didn't know either of them personally. "I'll check with Lembach."

The two of them left the room together, but went their separate way, House heading off to seek out the secretary for the chief of staff.

A smile spread across her face when he walked into her office. "Dr. House, what can I do for you today? And how are you progressing with your patient?"

"Need to pick your brain. A friend might need an oncologist. Want him to have the best we can offer."

She studied him, her smile disappearing. "I'd say Glaser or Knopf."

"Yeah, so I heard. But which is better? And which has the best bedside manner?"

"Who is this friend?"

"Friend from Shelby. Ex-merchant marine, currently I guess you'd say he was a fisherman. We're setting up his biopsy for tomorrow. Once we have the results, I want to be sure someone will take the case."

"I'd go with Knopf. Glaser can be...prickly." She smiled again. "Like you."

"Me? I'm not prickly." He pretended to be indignant, but was secretly glad she thought so.

"Knopf's office hours start at four. Why don't you stop in and talk to him. Second floor."

House nodded, pivoted and left, making a mental note to himself to visit Dr. Knopf that afternoon.

Simpson was writing something on the whiteboard when he returned to the conference room. House glared at him and raised his eyebrow. Simpson dropped the marker.

"I wanted to add the negative results of my tests for leukemia. Thought it might be the cause of the high white cell count, but I guess not."

"I'll let it go for now, but you should know; no one writes on my board unless I give my permission."

A sheepish Simpson nodded, probably too cowed to say anymore.

"So, no leukemia, neither acute nor chronic?"

Simpson swallowed loudly. "No."

"And he doesn't have rheumatic arthritis, never had rheumatic fever, either."

"So he says."

House smiled slightly. "We checked for an allergic reaction or drugs that could cause the high white cell count." House went on and on, ignoring Simpson, as if he wasn't there.


	47. Chapter 47

Just returned from a long weekend in Tucson and knew you all wanted another chapter. So here's the next one. Hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed our time away.

 **Chapter 47.**

House scratched his head and shook it at the same time. "Then, why the hell is his WBC so high?"

"Was that a question?" Simpson asked.

He turned from the board to look at him through narrowed eyes. "You still here?"

"I could go, but I'm not sure where."

"Ask the patient where he's been in the last four months."

"His name's Harold." Simpson left, passing Jacobs in the doorway.

"Where's he going?" She pointed at the departing Simpson.

"To chat with Harold. What've you got?"

"I confirmed he didn't have any condition to cause the high cholesterol."

"That's why Simpson's talking to the man." He glanced at the board again, then back to Jacobs. "Meanwhile, the low hemoglobin, what's causing that?"

"He's not anemic."

"Not yet." House closed his eyes and opened them. "Simpson ruled out leukemia. That would have taken care of the low Hgb and high WBC, but of course it's not that simple."

"Kidney function's normal."

House nodded. "And he hasn't lost any blood recently."

She shrugged. "Not that he's said."

"Patients lie." House tapped the figure he drew on the board. "We've assumed the patient was naturally thin. Go check whether he's had a recent weight loss."

"He could lie about that, too."

House smiled.

###

Cameron finished the day at the clinic a little early. She was anxious to talk to Chrissy before the evening rush at the diner, so she walked over.

The teen was putting on her apron. She grinned when she saw Cameron. "Aunt Linda said you were looking for me."

"Yes. If you have a few minutes. Come sit with me."

Chrissy looked around at the few customers, all taken care of already. She slid into the booth opposite Cameron. "What did you want to know?"

"I've been working two afternoons a week with Hannah, and I have a few questions about her."

"Don't know what I can tell you. Like I said. She's quiet, keeps to herself. Sometimes I feel like she's studying us through disapproving eyes."

Cameron nodded. Those were similar to the impressions she had. "I expect you and Rachel have tired to befriend her?"

"Tried. Didn't work." Chrissy's shoulders hunched. "Like a brick wall, ya know?"

"Could you try again? Ask her what she's learned at the clinic. Do you know anything about what she likes in books or music?" Cameron fiddled with her napkin. "I know it's a lot to ask, but please see what you can do to gain her trust. She needs someone to confide in."

Chrissy sighed. "Sure. I'll try. And I'll ask Rach to try, too."

"Thanks."

Chrissy stood. "Well, people are starting to come in for dinner. I should go help Aunt Linda."

Cameron nodded. "What are the specials tonight?"

"Lasagne and lamb stew. Mom finally found a supplier for lamb." The teen handed Cameron a menu and left one for House.

He arrived soon after she left. "Seats still warm. Been meeting with your secret admirer?"

"You know the only admirer I'd share this booth with is you." Cameron giggled. "I wanted to talk to Chrissy before the place got too busy."

House nodded. "So, she know anything about the enigmatic Hannah?"

"Not much, but she agreed to find out more." She grimaced. "Honestly, the kid spooks me a little."

"She's not suicidal, is she?"

"I don't think so. In fact, I never even considered that." Cameron's face crumbled, but soon cleared. "Solve the case?"

House shook his head. "It's as unfathomable as your young protege. Every direction we try hits a dead end. We're missing something."

"But something's nagging deep inside your subconscience."

"How do you know?"

"I know you."

Chrissy came by to tell House the specials and take their orders. She poured coffee for House and brought Cameron iced tea.

House said, "It's like the answer is lurking just out of reach. Why?"

"I don't know enough to answer that question." Cameron sipped her tea. "What have you ruled out?"

"Any form of leukemia to explain the high white cell count, any bleeding either internal or external to explain the low hemoglobin. The heart failure wasn't caused by a heart attack. He's naturally thin, so no recent weight loss. The list goes on."

Cameron nodded. "I can see why you're so puzzled."

"Not puzzled enough to keep me from being here."

Her mouth quirked. "You just want to know what I have in store for us this evening."

"It better be colossal."

Chrissy appeared carrying the stew they'd ordered. "I had a bit earlier, and it's awesome." She winked as she deposited it on the table and left.

House promptly stuffed his mouth with a huge forkful and nodded.

Cameron took a dainty bite. When she'd chewed and swallowed, she said, "Chrissy was right."

They ate in silence, each lost in their thoughts, gnawing at their problems as they gnawed their food. When they were halfway through, Pete stopped at the booth.

"Got a call to come to the hospital tomorrow for that biopsy."

House nodded. "I spoke to one of the doctors there before I left this evening." He didn't want to spook Pete by saying the doctor was an oncologist. There'd be plenty of time to tell him that. "He'll review the results and probably call you."

"Thanks, Doc. Don't mind tellin' you, this things got me antsy."

"Well, we'll know in a couple of days whether the doctor has to remove the growth." Cameron, too, chose her words carefully. "Until then, why don't you just go fishing?"

"Not a bad idea." Pete tipped the hat he wasn't wearing. "Thanks again, both of you."

"You're a good friend, Pete." Cameron smiled at the older man.

He left them to their dinners and went out the door.

"So you found an oncologist for him?" she asked.

"One of the best at Mercy. Name's Knopf." He stuffed another forkful into his mouth.

"Thanks."

"What are you thanking me for?" he said around his food and after swallowing, repeated it. "What are you thanking me for?"

"For everything you're doing for Pete."

House rolled his eyes. "It's not for you, it's for him. So you don't have to thank me, he already did."

"But he doesn't know everything."

House shrugged.

Cameron knew when to drop it. She'd almost finished her stew. "Will you want dessert?"

He wiggled his eyebrows. "I thought I was getting that later."

"Well, sure. I just meant… That is..." She felt her cheeks heating up.

"Just for that, I think I'll have a piece of pie." He signaled Chrissy, and the waitress returned to take their dessert orders.

"You know, Doc Cameron, I thought of something else." Chrissy carefully refilled their drinks. "Hannah usually wears long-sleeve blouses to school, even when it's hot out. And they button all the way up to her neck."

Cameron nodded. "I've noticed that, too. It's either a religious thing or she's hiding something."

"Or both," House said.

They looked at him and slowly nodded.

"Thanks, Chrissy. It's actually something I might talk to her about. Not in an accusing way, but maybe to compliment her on one of her blouses." Several ideas blossomed in Cameron's mind.

The teen went off to get their pieces of pie.

Cameron wiped her mouth with her napkin. "Did I tell you Will said the house could be ready in a month or two?"

"And that's our next stop, right?"

She nodded.

"I think I have an idea what you're planning." He licked his lips.

"Probably. But you don't know everything."

"Oh no? Any hints?" He leaned toward her.

"Nope." She crossed her arms. "You'll just have to wait and see."

When Chrissy brought their desserts, he gobbled his down as quickly as he could, then stood. "Let's go."

Cameron laughed, but remained sitting and ate her pie much slower.

His shoulders slumped and he sat again, tapping his cane loudly.

"I know you're impatient. You don't have to broadcast it to the entire diner." She glanced around the crowded space.

He tapped faster.

She barely held in her laughter. Finally finished, she rose. He jumped up so quickly, it shook the table.

They drove out to the house in silence. Cameron tingled with excitement, knowing what she had in store for him. Once out of the town, darkness engulfed them, but they easily found the lane leading to their new home. They parked on the gravel and got out, stopping a minute to stare at the structure.

"Will said there'd be a key under a brick near the steps to the porch." Cameron bent down searching.

House shone his penlight all around until she found it.

Cameron smiled as she mounted the steps, House right behind her. She turned the key in the lock and swung the door open. They stepped inside the empty house and looked around.

"Kitchen first, I think." Cameron said.

Some of the cabinets weren't hung yet, but the bases and counters were in. House flicked a switch on the wall and track lights in the ceiling came on, illuminating the huge space. Gleaming new appliances interspersed with the cabinets surrounded an island with a counter that was lower at one end for eating.

Cameron's mouth fell open.

"Well?" House asked.

She forced her mouth closed. "I didn't expect it to look like this." Her eyes shone.

He hung his cane on the lip of the sink and pulled her into his arms. "So, what now?"

She pointed to the island and smiled as seductively as she could.

House chuckled. "Absolutely." He helped her sit on the island counter and unzipped her slacks, stripping them off in a single pull with a little wriggling by Cameron. She took off her top as well as he removed his clothing. "You sure the surface won't be to hard?" he asked.

She shook her head as he removed her lacy bra and panties. His fingers and mouth played with her for a while, increasing her desire. It looked like his had grown as well.

He pulled her down to the floor. She did all she could to arouse his passion until they joined in overwhelming excitement. The marble tiles might never see such activity again. Then again, Cameron thought, before her conscious mind let go and sensations clouded all reasoning, maybe it would.

Finally spent, they lay there for several minutes to catch their breaths, then helped each other up to at least partially dress before exploring the rest of their new place. House steered her toward the living room, flicking on lights as they went.

"It'll take a lot of furniture to fill this and we'd still have room for your piano." Cameron examined the fireplace in the center of one wall, constructed using the brick from the old one. "I can picture us curled up on a throw rug in front of this, drinking wine..."

"...or beer..."

"...and melting into each other."

"I don't think you want the fire that hot," he quipped.

"I was speaking figuratively. Oh, House, I can't wait until we can move in."

"Looks like it won't be long. Let's go check out the master suite."

Cameron trailed after him, wondering whether to spring her bathroom surprises now or wait until they took possession. But the decision was taken out of her hands.

A squawk, followed by a whoop from House indicated he'd found the shower and all the extras she'd requested.

She joined him in the master bathroom.

"I don't remember requesting all of this." He touched each of the shower heads, the assorted controls, and the dispernsers.

She grinned. "No. I did. Part of my surprise for you." She had a qualm, worried he'd think that she'd focused on his leg and what he might need for it, but it was brief. Seeing the ear-to-ear grin on his face, she realized she'd done exactly the right thing.

"I'm not sure how I feel about having a shower that's big enough for an army. No more squeezing the two of us into a space the size of a shoe box." His complaint wasn't serious.

"We'll manage."

"And one more spot we'll have to christen."

"Not tonight."

"No, it'll wait. Okay. Might as well show off my little surprise." He took her hand. "At least, I hope Will's finished it."

Puzzled, she let herself be led through the house again to the family room.


	48. Chapter 48

Continuing on from last week...

 **Chapter 48.**

French doors led to the backyard, but another set opposite those led to an inner courtyard, very much like the one she'd admired in another house. She turned to House with shining eyes. "You didn't."

He indicated with an open hand. "Obviously I did. Or rather I had Will do this."

She threw her arms around his neck with such force, they almost fell over together. "Oh, House. It's terrific. I love it."

"You can plant whatever you want out there."

They went out through the doors. She gasped when she saw the fish pond in the center and the fountain to one side.

"We can put a table and chairs out here." He pointed to the perfect spot for them. "There's an entrance from the kitchen that you couldn't see before."

She laughed. "We were a little busy. I can picture us having coffee out here in the morning. And drinks in the evening. And..." Her arms encircled his waist as she rested her cheek on his chest. "Oh, House. Thank you. It's perfect."

"And what do I get for my perfect surprise?" He wiggled his eyebrows.

She looked into his blue eyes, warmer than usual. "How about christening the bedroom?"

"I can get into that."

They traipsed back to the master suite, arms around each others waists. They hadn't really examined the space before, the large bedroom, the walk-in closet and the window seat in front of the bow window. Cameron sat down there and looked out at what would be their backyard. House joined her.

Cameron pointed to the wall on the right. "That's the door to the back deck, I think."

"We can examine it later. Right now, I'd love to examine you." He leered at her.

"Yes, doctor. Where do you want to start?" She adopted a coquettish look, so alien to her usual expressions that it made House laugh. "We need a cushion for this seat." She ran a hand over the smooth wood.

"Stop talking," he insisted, planting his mouth on hers to ensure it.

Their kiss was deep and passionate and stirred the fires in both of them. When his lips left hers it was only to run them along her jaw to the soft skin of her neck. This time they took it slower until they couldn't hold back any longer. They slid together to the wood floor. Their lovemaking was sensual, passionate, and completely gratifying.

"In the future, a bed would be nice," House quipped as Cameron stood and held out her hand to him and he rose awkwardly. "Two rooms down, seven more to go."

Cameron laughed, not just at what he said, but because she felt so sated, so complete. "Guess the water isn't turned on yet." She pointed to the shower.

"Too bad. Maybe next time." House dressed again and waited for her to do the same. As they walked out, Cameron ran a loving hand along each wall. They locked up and got back into the car.

They drove back to the apartment totally satisfied. Cameron looked back until she could no longer see their new home. "I can't wait to move in."

"Seems to me we've already done that."

"I mean, live there, full time."

"I knew what you meant."

They passed the high school, dark at that hour. It made Cameron think about Hannah again, and what she could do to help the girl. She hoped Chrissy could get through to her. By the time they arrived at Edna's, she'd thought of five or six things she could do, and discarded them all.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked House as he parked the car in the driveway.

"Where I've seen a case like the one my team's working on." He glanced at her. "Bet your mind's on that kid again."

"Hannah. Yeah."

"Did you hear anything from your pal Cullen today?" he asked. "Not to change the subject."

"No, nothing. I guess we've done all we can for him, but I'd still like to know what he's found out. I'll call him in the morning. Now I just want a hot shower in our too-tight-for-one-let-alone-two stall."

House cracked a smile.

The kitchen was dark and empty as they passed through. They descended the stairs to their tiny apartment.

"Seems smaller than ever now that we've seen the house," Cameron said.

"We've managed in it for months now. We can make it through another month or two."

She kicked off her shoes, then stripped before entering the bathroom. The hot water from the shower felt good, but not as good as House's hands all over her.

He seemed to hear her thoughts, because he stepped in behind her and slipped those hands around to cup her small breasts. "There's something to be said for a tiny shower."

She turned to face him, not an easy feat, and smiled. "Haven't you had enough for one evening?"

"Can't a guy have a little extra on top of a wonderful evening?" He pouted.

Cameron's smile grew wider. "Would you mind awfully much if I told you I love you?"

He twisted his mouth as if he was thinking that over. "Maybe just this once."

"I love you." She kissed his lips, wet from the shower.

They squeezed out of the shower and dried each other off. As she finished getting ready for bed she said, "We have so much to look forward to."

"I honestly never thought I'd have a life like this." He rubbed a towel over his hair.

She opened the couch and got into bed. House joined her and they held each other for a while, but finally pulled apart and went to sleep.

In the morning, Cameron woke with a continued feeling of contentment. She glanced at a snoring House with pleasure, then eased out of bed for a trip to the bathroom. By the time she returned, he was awake.

"Any brilliant ideas about your patient?" she asked.

He grimaced. "Afraid not. What bugs me the most is the sense that I've read something somewhere that will help."

"It'll come to you." She found slacks and a blouse to wear that day and started to dress.

House forced himself out of bed and, after a trip to the bathroom, dressed too.

"Won't it be great when we have our own kitchen and can prepare breakfast in the morning?" Her eyes sparkled.

"But I'll miss Mo's pancakes and sausage."

"There is that. C'mon, I'll buy you a stack. Bet your team will be at the diner. You can find out whether they came up with anything."

"If they're not already at the hospital." He didn't need much encouragement, bounding up the stairs ahead of her with an unusual burst of speed.

She was laughing as they got into the car and drove the few blocks to the diner. Sure enough, the team was already ensconced in the booth when they arrived.

Linda delivered breakfast for Jacobs, Magnani and Simpson, filled House and Cameron's coffee cups, and then took their orders.

"Any brilliant ideas about your patient?" Cameron asked the team.

"We leave brilliance to our fearless leader," Magnani said.

A smile flitted across House's face. "As well you should."

Three sets of eyes looked his way expectantly.

"Unfortunately, brilliance has escaped me. For the moment. Maybe this stack of pancakes will bring it back." He focused both his gaze and his fork on the plate Linda placed before him.

"Have you heard anything further about the explosion at PPTH?" Jacobs asked.

Cameron shook her head. "I should call Cullen, since I didn't hear from him at all yesterday. Hope that means he's hot on the trail of the person responsible."

As if he knew they were talking about him, Cameron's phone beeped to indicate she had a text message. She read it to herself before repeating it for everyone at the table. "Cullen says they have two new leads and have been pursuing them since yesterday morning."

"Tell him it's about time he solved this thing," House said.

But Cameron was already keying in her reply, encouraging Cullen and saying she hoped he'd find the culprit before the end of the day.

"Bet you wish you were back there, egging him on," Simpson told his boss.

Cameron grimaced. "Don't encourage him, or he'll abandon you three to the patient and drive back to New Jersey today."

House shook his head. "Uh-uh. It's his baby. I'm staying out of it."

"Don't tell us our case is more intriguing to you." Jacobs snickered.

"OK, I won't. I will say it's not just the case, though." After that, House didn't say anything, but the corners of his mouth turned up as he watched the puzzled expressions on the faces of his team.

Simpson took one last gulp of coffee. "Well, we should get going. We scheduled an ultrasound for the patient for this morning."

Cameron and House stood to let him and his teammates out of the booth.

"See you at the hospital," Jacobs told House.

House scratched his ear as he watched them go.

"Can't say they aren't trying." Cameron wiped her mouth and checked her watch. "I should go, too. See you this evening." She flashed a smile at House.

He said an automatic, "Yeah," but he wasn't focused on her.

She strolled across the alley to the clinic, hoping that it meant he was onto something that would help him solve his case. Carol wasn't at her desk when Cameron walked in. The phone rang and she picked it up. "Shelby Clinic, this is Dr. Cameron."

"Oh, Allison. I wanted to let you know I'll be late today. This morning sickness won't quit."

"Don't worry. You'll get here eventually." Cameron grinned. "No patients yet. I can handle things for a while."

"I'll be there as soon as I stop..." Carol broke off, probably because another spasm hit her.

Cameron waited for her to return to the phone.

"Sorry about that." Carol sounded out of breath.

"Nothing to be sorry about. Thanks for calling." Cameron hung up, expecting that this situation would continue for a couple of months.

Patients trickled in throughout the morning. Carol finally arrived just before eleven looking drawn. "What a morning," she told Cameron as the doctor escorted a patient from the examining room.

Two more patients waited to be seen.

"I left a few files and notes on your desk. You can get to them anytime." Cameron turned to a middle-aged woman. "Come on in, Mrs. Clancy. Let's take a look at your hand."

Once the patients were gone for the lunch hour, Cameron sat down across from Carol. "Hannah should be in this afternoon. Do you feel up to showing her our filing system?"

"Sure. I'm feeling much better." Color had returned to Carol's cheeks. "And I saved one set of notes so I can show her how I enter them on the chart for the patient."

"I have a three pronged attack in place. Chrissy and Rachel will try to befriend her and learn what they can about her home life, you can show her what your job entails, and I'll use a new approach to get her to trust me enough to confide in me."

Carol looked worried. "Do you think all that effort will be worth it? I mean, she's so private."

"We have to do something."

"Allison, you care too much about everyone you meet."

She smiled ruefully. "That's what House says. Do you think you can handle lunch?"

Carol patted her stomach. "I'm starving."

###

House stared at his whiteboard, blocking out the rest of the room. Hidden in everything written there was the answer. He just knew it. He'd spent the morning reviewing all the test results, plotting them over time, comparing the current levels with those they'd found when the patient was first admitted. Most plots formed a straight line, showing no changes. The only blip was the heart stoppage, but that's all it was. A blip with no consequences or even any apparent cause.

He'd also skimmed through every journal he'd read over the past couple of months without finding anything. So why did he feel he'd seen something that would help him solve this puzzle? It was totally frustrating.

His watch told him it was time for lunch. Maybe some food would spark an epiphany, not that it had since he'd returned from New Jersey.

The cafeteria was full, but he spotted Pete at one of the tables and joined him. "How'd the biopsy go?"

"OK, I guess. Got an appointment with the doc in a week to see what it showed." The older man looked around. "Place is crowded, even more 'n Mo's at lunchtime."

"Yeah, it is. What did you have?" House indicated Pete's empty plates.

"Sandwich and coffee. And fries." Pete frowned. "Hope the doc doesn't say I can't eat those."

It wasn't any future dietary restrictions House worried about. Pete might have to make other lifestyle changes.


	49. Chapter 49

Just finished this chapter.

 **Chapter 49.**

Hannah arrived at three-thirty and stowed her backpack of school books in a corner of the exam room.

Cameron smiled at her, but at the same time took in her choice of clothing. Indian summer had gripped Maryland for a few days, but Hannah still wore a long-sleeved white blouse buttoned up to her chin and a navy skirt down to her ankles. Some religious sects required that sort of clothing, but Cameron thought there was more to it in Hannah's case.

"Did your mother make that skirt for you?" Cameron had rehearsed a series of questions and that was the first.

Hannah touched the heavy cloth and smiled. "This? I made it last year. Mama helped, of course."

"Very nice work." Despite the fact that it was full, it wasn't completely plain. Flowers were embroidered on the pockets and around the hem.

"Thank you."

"I've been thinking. You might learn something about medicine and our patients by helping Carol for part of today's session."

Hannah tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. "Doesn't she just put away the files?"

"No. She also enters my notes on each patient in a computer file. I assume you've used a computer." Cameron studied her face.

The girl pursed her lips before saying, "Only at school. We don't have a computer at home. Papa forbids it."

Cameron wasn't too surprised. "Then this will give you some practice with using one, besides seeing how the notes are kept."

"Will I have to do that in medical school?"

Cameron thought back to her days when computers weren't used as much as now, and smirked. "I'm afraid so. You'll need to document case studies, especially when you're an intern."

"Oh!"

"It's not that hard. Carol will show you. We use forms for part of the file and you just have to fill in the boxes on the form."

"OK. That might be interesting." Hannah seemed to relax a little.

Cameron made a mental fist pump. This was all working better than she expected. She'd gotten Hannah to smile, and the assignment with Carol was allowing Hannah to unbend.

###

House returned to his empty office from the cafeteria, still baffled by the case. He hadn't seen his team since early that morning, but knew if they'd found something to help, they would have tracked him down.

He needed a new distraction. Wilson hadn't called in a couple of days. Maybe his friend would say something to trigger a pathway in his brain as he used to do.

Jessica answered Wilson's cell. "Hi, House. Wilson's in with Dr. Peters for a check-up, but he should be out soon. Did you want him to call you back?"

Would his frustrations never end? "Yeah, that would be great." He ended the call and leaned back in his chair, and promptly fell asleep.

 _He was in a room with mirrored walls, but the mirrors were the trick kind, some making him look even thinner and others showing him as a short man. He walked through a doorway into a darkened room with a steeply sloping floor. A funhouse? He hadn't been in one of those since he was in med school. The place bore no resemblance to the house Will was building for him and Cameron. Each room he entered was stranger than the last. In one, he had to crouch down to avoid hitting his head._

He jolted awake. That was it! Or was it? Had the patient hit his head without knowing it? Had he banged into something? No, neither would cause his white cell count to drop. So much for the subconscious mind helping him solve the case.

His phone rang, Wilson returning his call.

"You rang?" Wilson said in a deeper voice than usual.

"You must be feeling better."

"Peters says so." His tone was back to normal.

"And you don't believe him?" House rolled his eyes.

Wilson seemed to ignore the question. "Something I can help you with?"

"I'm drawing a blank on where I saw a study of a patient with a low white cell count, high red, sudden heart stoppage, and a host of unrelated symptoms. Since you've been out of commission for weeks, I doubt you've seen it, but maybe you can suggest where I might have."

"No, I haven't done much reading lately, but I have watched a lot of TV. One of the medical shows had a case like that..."

"That's it! That's where I saw it, maybe when I was still in New Jersey. But I remember thinking 'there is no such disease', so that doesn't help." He tried to recall the details.

"It had to be based on something that exists. Those programs have medical consultants."

House pshawed. "Yeah, and those so-called consultants get it wrong ten times out of nine. Still, at least I wasn't hallucinating that I'd seen the combination of symptoms before."

"Maybe your patient watched the show."

"Nah. He couldn't fake his vitals or the heart stoppage. We've been monitoring him closely. You wouldn't happen to recall what those folks who aren't doctors, just play them on TV said was wrong with their patient, do you?" There was silence for so long, House was afraid Wilson had conked out.

"Something about the liver? Or maybe it was the kidneys." Wilson chuckled. "It was one of those shows that we used to watch together and laugh at everything they got wrong. Could they have been right for once?"

"Maybe. It's a place to start."

"Don't you wanna know how I'm really doing?"

"Oh, yeah. How're you really doing?"

Wilson laughed. "Better, I'd say, just as Peters says. I remember more and more snatches everyday. I'll let you get back to your patient. Say 'hi' to Cameron for me."

House didn't even notice when Wilson ended the call. He was already going through all the kidney diseases he knew. He was a nephrologist, after all. Suddenly he sat back and grinned.

Soon after, Magnani entered with the results of the latest ultrasound. "What are you smiling about?"

"Gather the troops. I think I know what it is."

Magnani narrowed his eyes, shrugged and went in search of the rest of the team.

###

Sobbing greeted Cameron as she escorted one of her patients to the waiting room. Hannah sat on a chair in tears. Cameron put a hand on the teen's shoulder. "What's wrong?" She looked at Carol, whose brows were drawn together.

"I was showing her the results of the lab tests on the Quentin twins, and she suddenly lost it." Carol shook her head. "I'm not sure what set her off." She kept her voice low. No need to share this with the two patients waiting for Cameron.

Cameron nodded. "The internal damage both of them have due to mistreatment by their babysitter is pretty severe. Did Hannah say anything before she burst into tears?"

"Only 'oh, no', but she said it a few times."

Cameron approached the girl and put a hand on her shoulder. Hannah flinched. "Hannah, the woman who hurt those two little ones is in custody for what she did. She'll never hurt them again."

Hannah looked up through wet eyes. "Will...will they be...all right?"

She couldn't lie. "The surgeon who'll work on them will do what he can to repair much of the damage, but Ainsley might never walk again and Ashley might lose one of her kidneys."

"Oh, no." Hannah sniffed back her tears.

"If you know about anyone who's been hurt like that, you should tell an adult – either a teacher or even me."

"But...but what if he deserved it?"

Cameron didn't know who she was talking about, possibly a brother. "No child deserves to be hurt the way the twins were."

Hannah looked down, breathing slowly. When she looked up, she said, "I think I'd better go home now. I'll see you next week." She quickly entered the exam room and grabbed her books then walked to the door.

"Hannah, think about what I said." Cameron didn't know what else she could do. She hoped she'd made some impression on her.

The girl scooted out without a backward glance.

Cameron sighed, then took the next patient back to the examination room, but she was deep in thought about what had just happened.

###

House sat at the conference table surrounded by journals, textbooks and his laptop when the team assembled. He showed them a couple of reports of a rare kidney condition that included the symptoms their patient exhibited.

"So you think it's this..." Jacobs had to get closer to the journal to read what it said, "...chronic glomerular diseases?"

"Yeah. It's a kind of chronic renocardiac syndrome. We'll need to test his creatinine level and estimate the GFR. Also do a kidney biopsy."

"And if it's this...thing I never heard of?" Simpson asked.

"Ongoing treatment with an ACE inhibitor might be enough." House shook his head. "I don't know why I never thought of it." He waited until they were gone before calling Cameron. "Solved it."

"What was it?"

"Chronic renocardiac syndrome."

"And you never thought of that?" She realized how negative that sounded. "How'd you finally come up with it?"

"Talked to Wilson."

She laughed. "Figures. You used to do that all the time. It's a shame in a way that he's not right there."

"Just a phone call away."

"How is he?"

"He says he's doing better everyday. Said to say 'hi' for him."

"I'm glad he's recovering."

"How'd it go with Hannah?"

"I'm surprised you even thought to ask." She sighed. "Not too well, but that's probably another clue to what's going on in her home life. She got upset reading the file on twins who were beaten by their babysitter."

"Not her?" His voice was tight.

"Oh, no. A middle-aged woman. The internal damage from that was what freaked Hannah."

"So maybe your hunch that she's suffered abuse is true."

"Or someone in her family. She left abruptly. I hope she'll be all right this weekend."

"Cameron, you can't take care of everyone you know." The warning in his voice was strong.

"I guess."

"Tell me you're not going to do something stupid."

"Define stupid."

"Cameron."

"Relax. I'm too busy to do anything that'll get me in trouble."

He paused as he thought about it, but knew nothing he could say would stop her if she decided she had to do something. "See you later."

"Right."

He stared at the phone. Nothing he could do from here. He'd just have to head home early – and join her in whatever scheme she'd dreamt up. The team probably wouldn't have the results of the blood test until the morning, and from the biopsy even later.

###

Cameron told the truth when she said she'd likely be too busy to do anything about Hannah, but she still worried about the teen. It was a long time until Monday. She had to know Hannah was OK. Her next patient took less time than she'd expected, so she picked up the phone and dialed Hannah's home. She frowned when no one answered. Wasn't Hannah home yet? What about the rest of the family?

Cameron decided to rush through the rest of the patients for the day and drive out to the address where Hannah and her family lived. Luckily, there were only three patients waiting to be seen. One was only there for a flu shot. The other two took a bit more time. By four thirty she was ready to go. Unfortunately, Didi Ling from the nail salon next door came in just as she said 'goodnight' to Carol.

"Dr. Cameron, I cut my hand cleaning my tools." Didi held her arm up, bent at the elbow, with blood dripping from her palm.

"Come on in. We should take care of that immediately." Cameron led the slim young woman into the exam room and motioned for her to sit on the table. She cleaned the cut and excess blood, happy she didn't have to suture the wound. Then she applied an antibiotic cream, a compress and a bandage. "This should do it. Keep it elevated for a few hours, okay?"

"Sure, Doc. Sorry to have kept you. Looked like you were about to leave."

"Not a problem. I was leaving early to..." Cameron decided she shouldn't share her worries about Hannah. "...to run some errands. They can wait since you needed me."

"Well, thanks." Didi grinned at her. "You're the best." She jumped off the table, careful to hold her arm up.

"I'll walk you out. Hope you don't have any appointments for this evening."

"Oh, no. I'm finished for the day." Didi grinned. "And I'll be more careful in the future."

"Everything all right?" Carol asked.

"It is now." Didi waved her uninjured hand as she left.

"She cut her hand, but not badly. It looked worse than it was."

"Good. She's the best manicurist in town. I'd hate for her to have to give it up."

"Carol, I'm heading out."

"This early?"

"Hannah's not answering her home phone. You don't happen to have a cellphone number for her?"

"No. In fact, I don't think she has one. I hope you don't think she's in some kind of trouble." She looked at Cameron through narrowed eyes. "Don't do something stupid."


	50. Chapter 50

I apologize for taking so long to get another chapter up. I was away for three days weekend before last, and this weekend I attended a local self-publishing conference. Between that and the three classes I'm taking, I haven't had as much writing time as usual.

 **Chapter 50.**

House arrived at the diner at five, but Cameron wasn't there. He called her cell. No answer. He called the clinic.

"Hi Doctor House," Carol sounded slightly flustered.

"Is Cameron still there?"

"No, she left about twenty minutes ago. I hate to tell you this, but I'm worried. She's been upset much of the afternoon about Hannah. Did Allison tell you Hannah left early, unnerved by what she saw in one of our files?"

"Yes." He inhaled deeply. What had Cameron gotten herself into? "Did she say what she was planning? Cameron I mean."

"No, but she asked for the phone number and address of where Hannah lives."

"And where is that?"

"About half a mile south of the high school. Not the best neighborhood, poor rather than dangerous, though." She rattled off the address.

"OK. Thanks. And Cameron says congrats are in order."

Carol's voice softened. "Thank you. We're thrilled, of course."

"If you don't hear from either of us in the next couple of hours, call out the National Guard." He was out of his seat before he finished talking, raced to his car faster than he had in a while, and tore out of the parking lot, heading north, then west when he hit the major crossroad before the center of the town. He'd been on this road many times before, going out to the bay, to their new home, or to the high school. When he reached the school, he turned south again. The street he wanted was eight blocks south.

The houses were much smaller in this area, and many were run-down, needing paint or new siding and/or repairs to wooden steps. Hannah's family lived in one of the better-maintained places. He saw no signs of Cameron's car. The house was dark. Now what?

Before he left, he got out of his car and stepped carefully around the back of the house. Without streetlights, the place was like a cave, helped by the massive overhanging trees. An owl hooted not far away, but that was the only sound to fill the air.

The tiny backyard was covered mostly in grass. No flowers, no vegetable bed. The house didn't have a garage or shed. Did Hannah's family have a car? And where were they?

He reached his car again when a twenty-year-old station wagon pulled up in from of it. A family piled out, a father, mother, and three kids, all dressed in what he thought of as Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes. The oldest kid, a girl, fit the description Cameron gave for Hannah.

"Can I help you?" The father's deep voice held an accusatory tone.

House's first thought was, _He won't try anything with_ _h_ _is family around._ "I must have the wrong address." House rattled off the number and street of the only one he knew of in this neighborhood.

"That's three streets over." The man turned and led his family up the walk to the house.

The only thing House could do was get in his car and turn around, drive back the way he came. But he still didn't know where Cameron was if she wasn't at the Briggs' home. His heart beat faster and faster until he reached the diner and saw her car, parked in front. That's when he finally let out his breath. He realized she'd driven to work with him in the morning, and probably walked back to Edna's to get her car.

He entered the diner and found Cameron sitting in her usual spot. "Been waiting long?"

"Not very," she said.

"Saw your car..." He left it open for her to explain.

But she didn't bite. Instead she shrugged. "Needed a walk, but once I reached Edna's, I was too tired to walk back."

"Uh-huh." He nodded but his eyes said he didn't believe it. Still, he let it go.

"So, were you able to confirm your diagnosis?" She smiled.

"Yeah. Still kicking myself for not thinking of it sooner. Am I losing it?" He rested his head on his arms on the table.

She shook her head. "No. You're just used to looking beyond the obvious."

Chrissy approached, a frown marring her pretty face. "I tried to talk to Hannah today, but she wasn't very receptive."

"I'm not sure you should get close to her after all." Cameron pursed her lips.

"Why not?"

Cameron shook her head. "Because… Let's just say, you're better off not."

Chrissy left, the frown remaining on her mouth.

"You know that's only going to encourage her," House warned.

"She's too smart to try anything dangerous."

"Like you?" His eyebrows crawled up his forehead.

She narrowed her eyes.

Their food arrived, followed by the team.

"The patient's already responding to treatment." Simpson slid in next to House.

Jacobs and Magnani sat opposite him, next to Cameron. Jacobs pointed to Cameron's open roast beef sandwich and mashed potatoes. "That looks scrumptious."

"I'll let you know whether it tastes good too." Cameron took her first forkful of meat and gravy, then sighed with delight.

"Guess we'll have to come up with another patient next week." Magnani grimaced.

"But meanwhile we can enjoy the weekend. Except you." Simpson grinned. "Rocco drew the short straw and will have to drive into the hospital tomorrow to check on the patient while Heather and I are free to do whatever we want."

Magnani frowned at him, but Jacobs patted his hand. "I'll go in with you, Rocco. I'm sure Bart can find his own form of amusement."

It was Simpson's turn to frown.

Listening to their banter, Cameron's own tension melted. "We haven't made any plans for the weekend, but I have to cover the clinic in the morning."

"I'm sure we can come up with something." House stuffed his mouth before saying anything else.

Cameron studied his face, but he'd assumed a blank expression. She wondered what he had in mind, although she could think of a few things.

The team members ordered the same thing House and Cameron had. Chrissy looked like she wanted to say something, but bit her lip and walked away to turn in the orders.

"This might be the last weekend of good weather." Simpson was over his annoyance. "They're predicting a cold snap this week."

"We've been lucky so far this fall," Jacobs said. "House said that with all the good weather your new place is almost done," she told Cameron.

Cameron nodded. "Can't wait to move in. We'll have to have a housewarming party when we do, let all our friends see what it's like." She ignored House's grimace.

Jacobs eyes lit up. "Oh, does that include us?"

"Of course it does." Cameron smiled. House's mouth twisted into a frown.

The rest of the meal was occupied with innocuous talk. Finally, the kids finished eating and left.

With them gone, House put on his serious face. "Whose car should we take?"

"What?" She stared at him.

"To drive to the Briggs' house. That was where we have to go, right?"

She recovered and swallowed saliva. "Yeah." She sounded resigned.

"They're home now."

"What?" she repeated.

"I figure they went to a prayer meeting or some such nonsense earlier. But they're all there now."

"Oh." Realization caused her shoulders to relax. She looked at her empty plate and sipped the last of her ice-diluted tea. "Okay. Let's go." She slid out and stood. "No time like the present. My car."

House's mouth bunched up. "OK, but I drive." They walked out into the still balmy evening air and got into the car. House retraced his recent route, out to where Hannah lived. Only one light shone in first floor windows, but the second floor was completely lit up.

They approached the house slowly, walking straight up a path of evenly-spaced stone pavers. No grass grew between them.

Cameron looked for a bell, but seeing none in the porch light, she reached a hand toward the simple knocker.

"Wait. Are you sure you want to do this? You don't have to."

"Yes I do. For Hannah." She let the knocker hit the door.

The man who opened it was taller than House. Lean and slightly stooped. His dark eyes were hooded with bushy eyebrows above, and his mouth set in a line. "What do you want?" He peered at them. When his gaze fell on House, he said, "You again. I thought you wanted someone a couple of streets over."

Cameron took a step forward and held out a hand. "Hello, Mr. Briggs. I'm Dr. Cameron. Hannah's been helping me at the clinic for the last month or so."

Briggs looked at her small hand with thinly veiled disgust. "You the one been filling her head with all that nonsense 'bout medicine?"

She pressed her lips together as she composed a response. "Hannah's a bright girl. I hope you encourage her curiosity about the world."

"Why should I? She's been taught enough about what's right and wrong, and her place in the world right here in her home. By her parents. As it should be." The gruff voice held so much anger.

"I was worried because she left abruptly this afternoon. I'm afraid we frightened her by telling her about some patients. Were you able to comfort her?"

"Don't hold with no comforting, nor coddling. After she told her mama 'bout those poor little babies, we prayed for them, the whole family together."

Nothing he said was a surprise to Cameron. She knew she couldn't change his attitude or his beliefs. Reaching Hannah, helping her to see other views, would be much harder than she originally believed. She pasted on a smile. "Thank you for that, Mr. Briggs. Please tell Hannah I was concerned." She backed away.

But of course House wouldn't let it go with that. "How many kids do you have?"

"That's not your business."

"Let's just say I'm curious. Hannah's the eldest, right?"

"Please leave." Briggs tried to close the door, but House's foot was planted firmly inside. "I'll call the authorities."

"Tell me, Mr. Briggs. Where did you take your family to pray?"

"Get out!" Briggs shouted and tried to push on the door again.

House responded with a twisted smile, but finally removed his foot and allowed the door to close. As he and Cameron returned to the car he said, "You were right."

"Right about what?"

"Hannah's not safe in that house."

"Do you think he's beating her?" Cameron voice sounded sad.

House nodded. "I think he's the kind of man who expects blind obedience." He got into the car. "Not military like my...father. No, this is based more on his religious beliefs. He's frustrated because the world, society, has different rules than he does, and he takes it out on his kids. The most minor infringement brings retaliation."

"So what can we do about it?" She shook her head. "We don't have proof, so we can't go to any authorities. I don't even know who to report this too. Are the other kids in danger too?"

"Very likely." He sighed as he turned the key to start the car. "Let's go home. Tomorrow we can investigate who handles cases like this – is there a child welfare organization in Shelby? What kind of proof do they need to start looking into a case?"

"Something tells me you want to help Hannah too."

"Let's just say I'm curious."

"You can empathize with her."

He didn't say anything.

They tried to forget about Hannah when they reached their place, but it was no use. Cameron turned on her laptop and started her search. "There's something called the Children's Welfare League of Shelby." As she read further, she said, "And guess who's active in it?"

He didn't hesitate. "Pamela and/or Anna."

"How'd you know?"

"They're the type. It's been a while since we talked to either of them, but I bet we can recruit them to help with this."

"I bet we can." Cameron closed the machine. "I'll call them tomorrow, tell them what we know, what we've observed."

"You might want to arrange for one or both of them to meet her." He pulled off his shirt. "But that's all for tomorrow. I'm off to the shower. Care to join me?"

"Yes. Maybe the hot water will ease the tense muscles in my back."


	51. Chapter 51

Back on schedule, although I'm still very busy. Here's the next one.

 **Chapter 51.**

Cameron hoped for a few moments between patients Saturday morning so she could call Anna or Pamela, but she never found the time. Just as she'd resigned herself to wait until she stopped for the day at lunchtime, her phone rang. It was Pamela.

"Allison, we need to set-up some appearances for you to speak and garner support for your election to the board."

Cameron had almost forgotten she was running. It was only the occasional sign in a store window or on a lawn that reminded her. "Did you have a suggestion of time and place?"

"I know you're busy with patients during the week. Don't tell me you're working this morning as well."

"Okay, I won't." She chuckled. "Seriously, how do these things work? I've never run for office before, you know."

"I thought you might want to talk to some of the groups I'm in, rally the women, and men too, of course, to your cause."

"When do they meet?" Cameron was already calling up her calendar on her computer. "In the evenings, I hope."

"Yes, most do. There's a DAR meeting on Monday night," Pamela said.

Cameron wasn't surprised that Pamela belonged to the Daughters of the American Revolution, just as she wasn't surprised she was involved in an organization to help children. "I can make that. You're a member of the Children's Services League too, aren't you?"

"Why, yes. How did you know that?" Pamela's voice turned inquisitive.

"I was looking at what the League does. There's a teenager, a classmate of your granddaughter's, who might need help."

"Oh, dear. Well, the next League meeting is...Thursday...at Anna's house, in fact."

"I can speak there, too, but I'd like to talk to you and Anna about the girl and her family before that."

"Why don't you come for an early tea this afternoon. Say two or two thirty. I'll arrange for Anna to be here, too."

"Thanks, Pamela." After she'd ended the call she felt much better. She called House, who was spending the day with Pete. She told him about her two speaking engagements and also that afternoon's meeting with Anna and Pamela.

"I'd say that's all good news."

"How's Pete?" she asked.

"We're getting in some fishing while the weather stays warm enough." He didn't have to say 'before Pete gets his diagnosis or needs further treatment.' "Let me know what you learn from the ladies today."

"Of course. And you, have fun." As she ended the call she heard him guffaw.

She finished with her last two patients, sent Carol on her way, and realized the jeans and sweater she wore weren't quite right for tea. With plenty of time before then, she returned home to shower and change into navy slacks and a silk blouse. She stopped to speak to Edna for a few minutes before heading out again, armed with a list of questions for Anna and Pamela. The drive to Pamela's took less than twenty minutes. Cameron sat in her car for a few minutes, collecting her thoughts, before walking up the path and ringing the bell.

"Come right in." Pamela greeted her with a broad smile. "Anna will be here in a few minutes. We can sit in the dining room."

"Can I help you get anything ready?" Cameron asked. Her opinion of Pamela had taken a hundred and sixty degree turn since she first met her.

"Oh, no. It's all ready. Have a seat and I'll go get the tray."

Cameron was pleased at how well Pamela had recovered from her ordeal not that long ago.

The bell rang. When her hostess returned, she carried a laden tray and was accompanied by Anna. The three women relaxed a bit with their tea, sandwich triangles, and small pastries before beginning to talk.

"The women are excited to hear you speak," Pamela said. "I've sent out announcements to both groups. Of course, they already support you, so you won't be winning over new voters, but they'll be even more enthusiastic about your campaign and spread the word."

"Thanks, Pamela, although I sometimes wonder whether I'm the right person for the board, whether I'll have enough time to devote to it."

Anna patted her hand. "We were all somewhat skeptical whether we could make a difference when we joined the town board. Weren't we?" She smiled at Pamela.

Cameron could never imagine Pamela ever having any self-doubt. Even during her recent problems she was always in control. "As long as you both realize I'll lean on you whenever I'm in doubt." She hadn't always seen eye-to-eye with Pamela Bradford, but now considered her a friend and someone who did all she could for the people of Shelby. "I also need to talk to you both about the Children's Welfare League."

Pamela nodded. "You mentioned that on the phone. What is it you wish to know?"

"When and how does the League become involved with suspected child abuse?"

"Why? Have you seen evidence of such?" Pamela centered her cup on her saucer. "As a doctor you must see things others don't."

"I'm concerned about someone, not a patient, but a teenager I've been trying to mentor."

"Yes, you mentioned she was in Rachel's year at the high school."

Cameron nodded. "Her name is Hannah Briggs." She couldn't help noticing the look exchanged between the two older women. "Has the name Briggs come up before?"

"Matthew Briggs. He's a preacher, or claims to be. Very strict in his teachings." Pamela wiped her lips and then placed her cloth napkin back on her lap. "We've had occasional reports from those who've left his church, but no one is ready to bring charges against him."

"So it isn't only his own children." Cameron sighed deeply. "Hannah tends to wear long sleeves, even in hot weather, as well as long skirts. Of course, that can be the dress prescribed by her religion, but I believe they hide bruises."

Anna and Pamela's heads bobbed up and down and they had the same grim look on their faces.

"I should tell you that House and I went out to the Briggs house yesterday evening to talk to Mr. Briggs, but he refused to speak with us. When Hannah was at the clinic yesterday, she became very upset about a case of two battered children, as if..."

"She wondered whether she would eventually be in their condition?" Anna asked.

Cameron nodded. "Yes, either she herself or one of her siblings."

"I know you can't tell us about the case she saw, but what was the result of the beatings?"

"The children were toddlers. They had broken bones that might never heal correctly and other injuries that might be permanent. Both are in the hospital now with teams of doctors working on them."

"And Hannah fears the same might happen to her?" Anna asked.

"Yes. She left long before her session with me was over, obviously distraught."

"Has anyone else noticed anything with her or her brother or sister?"

"Perhaps one of their teachers, but I haven't talked to any of them yet, don't even know which teachers they have. I wanted to know how much evidence the League needs to investigate a family." The food on her plate was forgotten.

"Unfortunately, Allison, we need substantial and specific evidence, and reports or complaints from a number of people." Pamela sighed. "We've never done anything about the rumors and unsubstantiated claims we've heard before."

"Still, with the mounting number, I think we can at least seek more," Anna said. "Tell me, has Mrs. Briggs ever brought any of the children in to you to be treated?"

"No. They don't believe in inoculations. I expect they've used their religion to avoid the shots necessary to satisfy the schools. Hannah's understanding of medicine, how it works and when it's needed are indications that they avoid doctors as much as possible." Cameron looked at her hands. "I worry that by the time something happens that will send one of the children to an emergency room, it'll be too late."

Anna nodded and rubbed her forehead. "If you can only convince Hannah to come forward."

Cameron shook her head. "It won't be easy. Chrissy and Rachel haven't been able to get close to her, either. I thought she might confide in her peers, but she's been so brainwashed by her upbringing – I think she realizes their values are different from hers and she's reluctant to talk to them, or any other kids."

"Do you think Hannah's ashamed about what's happening to her?" Anna asked.

"I don't even know that, although it would explain why she's been so reticent. She's not sure how any revelations will be received by others." Cameron shut her eyes and opened them again. "Perhaps someone who is also in her situation could talk to her. Has the League helped anyone recently that you can recommend?"

Pamela shook her head, then held a palm to the side of her face. "We have a woman psychologist who sometimes works with the kids and families the League has identified. She seems to have a knack for gaining their trust so they talk to her even when they don't talk to anyone else."

"Could you have her call me? I'd love to meet her and talk about how we should approach Hannah. Everything I've tried hasn't worked." She looked down. "I only hope our visit last night hasn't made the situation worse for Hannah."

"Of course. The psychologist's name is Naomi Winters. I'll give her a call later, at least find out whether she'll work with you."

Anna raised an eyebrow. "What does Dr. House think?"

"You know, he's strangely interested, but I think that's because he sees parallels between Hannah's situation and his own when he was in his teens. I wouldn't talk about it, but I know he's confided in both of you about his father, and the way John House treated him."

"Yes, he did tell us." Anna tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. "He might be just the person to talk to Hannah."

Cameron's shoulder's slumped. "If she'll even talk to a man who isn't her father."

Anna's eyes shot open. "Yes, I can see that would be a problem."

Pamela shook her head. "How did she ever think she'd become a doctor if she has all of these prohibitions drummed into her?"

"I've asked her that, but she never had an answer. I'm sure she has a reason." A connection formed in Cameron's brain. "Her brother and sister. She's afraid they'll be sick or hurt and she'll have to care for them. That's why the twins' file was so traumatic for her. Maybe that's the angle I have to play."

"You think she's worried about them?"

"I'm certain of it. Maybe I can convince her to bring them in for an examination. If they've been abused, it will show." Cameron finally felt some hope for helping Hannah and her family. She drank the last of her tea and stood. "Pamela, thanks for inviting me over today." She held out a hand.

"You're not leaving, are you? So soon?"

"I...I guess there's nothing I can do right now." She sat again.

"We have to talk about what you'll say at the meetings next week."

"What I'll say." Cameron had no idea how to sell herself to the population of Shelby, perhaps especially to the most prominent women in town. "Any suggestions?"

Anna chuckled. "Just be yourself. I don't think you can say anything wrong. The women you'll meet, even those you've never met before, already feel positively toward you."

"That's what I'm afraid of. What if I alienate them somehow? Maybe it's better if I don't say anything." She rubbed her hands on her thighs. "Maybe I should smile and nod at whatever they say to me and keep my mouth shut."

"Allison, you have to take positive actions, not neutral ones. Why don't you talk about what you're trying to do for Hannah? That will solidify their opinion of you as a caring woman."

"I guess I can do that. At least it's something I'm passionate about."

"Exactly. Now, what else would you like to see happen in Shelby?" With that prompt from Anna and some from Pamela, Cameron thoughts began to crystallize. By the time she left Pamela's home, she had a clear picture of what she should say at the two meetings that week.


	52. Chapter 52

Hope you're enjoying all the new and old threads of this story as they intertwine.

 **Chapter 52.**

House spent the morning fishing with Pete and reassuring the older man in his own way that the future would be fine. They ended up at the diner for lunch around two. "Guess Cameron's off to tea at Pamela's."

"Plannin' her campaign?" Pete asked.

"No doubt. But she also had questions for Pamela and Anna about the Children's Welfare League."

"Not somethin' I know anythin' about. Why's she doin' that?"

"Do you know the Briggs family, Pete?" House expected Pete knew everyone who lived in Shelby.

Pete frowned. "You betcha. That Matthew Briggs. And don't ever call him Matt. Surprised you hadn't heard of him 'fore this."

"What can you tell me?"

Pete scrunched up his nose and scratched behind one ear. "He's anti everything. Don't want big box stores in town. No fast-food joints. Well, I can agree to that long as we got Mo's." He waved a hand to restaurant. "But he don't want stores open on Sundays, no booze sold then either, things like that. Real religious, know what I mean?"

"Ever heard anything about his kids?"

"Only that he keeps a tight rein on 'em. His wife, too."

"What does he do?" House asked.

"Says he's a preacher. Self-ordained, I'd say. Ready to lead a prayer service wherever he is." Pete leaned over the table. "Why the questions?"

"His oldest has been working two days a week with Cameron. Strange kid, with even stranger ideas."

Pete nodded. "Not surprised."

House couldn't stop thinking about Hannah. Her reactions to her abuse, OK, alleged abuse, was very different from his own. He'd rebelled as much as possible. She seemed to accept it and her father's ideas about right and wrong. She'd cowered to his rules while House had refused to obey John House's demands no matter how much or how often he was punished.

Could he help Cameron bring out any hint of rebelliousness in Hannah? What would be a stronger incentive than the punishment she endured? What might she value more than her own life?

The answer was simple, really. The health and safety of her younger brother and sister. So how could he and Cameron use that?

"Doc?" Pete looked his way. "You OK?"

House nodded. "Yeah. Sure. What are we having for lunch?" He tried to catch Linda's gaze so they could order, and tried to focus on Pete rather than Cameron's latest cause.

But instead of Linda, her niece came over. "Where's Dr. Cameron?"

"Why, can't you serve us without her?"

Chrissy giggled. "No. I just wanted to ask her whether she'd been able to get anywhere with Hannah Briggs, since Rachel and I failed so miserably."

"I wouldn't beat up myself for that," House told her. "No one seems to be able to get her to talk."

"That's too bad. She's a smart kid, but she has all these hangups, you know?"

House nodded. He did know. "Cameron's trying another approach."

"Good. I'm glad she's not giving up. So, what do you two fine gentlemen want today?" She flashed a smile.

"What's the special?" Pete looked around for a sign. Mo didn't always put one up, leaving it to her waitresses to tell customers what she'd made.

"Fried chicken and mashed. I had some earlier and it was great."

"You wouldn't be a little prejudiced, would you?" House teased, knowing Chrissy would take it well. Not that it would stop him from teasing someone else who wouldn't.

"Maybe a little." She held two fingers close together.

House and Pete ordered the chicken and Chrissy went to turn their orders in.

"So what kinda approach is Doc Cameron tryin'?" Pete asked. "Does it have somethin' to do with her tea this afternoon? Never took her for a woman what would like that stuff."

"She usually only drinks tea if she's sick." House remembered a vile drink she gave him once when he had a cold. "But she'll do anything to get Anna and Pamela to talk."

Pete shook his head and chuckled. "Bet the three of 'em 'll get up to some kind a scheme."

"No doubt." House only hoped it paralleled the thoughts he'd had but also that Cameron didn't put herself in harm's way to help Hannah.

The chicken when it arrived was delicious. The two men took their time, savoring every bite, taste and crunch. When he was done, Pete patted his stomach. "Can't beat Mo's cookin'."

House hoped he'd be able to continue to enjoy it if he had to undergo any surgery or treatments.

###

Cameron left Pamela's feeling hopeful that she could develop a plan to get Hannah the help she thought the girl needed. She pulled out her phone as she got into the car and called House.

"How was the tea?" House sounded as if his mouth was full of food.

"Talking to Pamela and Anna gave me some clues about how to approach the Hannah situation. I have to convince her the best thing for her brother and sister is to come forward, tell the authorities they're being beaten."

"If they are. Yeah. I thought the same thing."

"So when were you going to tell me?" She laughed.

"Now. I'm telling you now."

"Sounds like you're eating now."

"Late lunch with Pete. Wanna join us? Or did Pamela fill you with cucumber sandwiches?"

She laughed. "Actually, it was pate on toast points and petit fours. But I could handle a bit more food. I assume you're at the diner?"

"Yup. Fried chicken you could die for."

"I'll be there in ten." She ended the call, but before she took off, she called Cullen in New Jersey. She hadn't heard from him in a few days.

"Dr. Cameron, how'd you know I was thinking about you?" His voice held a laugh.

"I didn't, but since I hadn't heard from you, I wanted to check in and find out whether any of your leads panned out."

"Most of them were dead ends." Now he sounded disappointed.

"You say most?"

"Yeah. Remember I told you Dr. Cuddy was being stalked?"

She thought she'd told him that, but let it go. "Yes. Likely by Lucas Douglas."

"Yeah, well we've had our eyes on Mr. Douglas, but unfortunately, we weren't watching him closely enough."

"He ran?" She gasped.

"He was killed."

Cameron almost dropped her phone. "What? What did you say?"

"Lucas Douglas was shot sometime last night. He's dead."

"Oh, no!" Her heart raced and she forgot to breathe at first. When she could finally intake some air, she said, "So now you have a shooting to add to the investigation."

"Yeah. At least it eliminates him as the perp of the bombing."

"I'm not sure it should." She murmured it, almost to herself. "I mean, maybe he did it with someone else who turned on him, or maybe someone else had proof he did it, and was so incensed, he took the law into his own hands."

"I...I hadn't thought of that. Thanks, Doc." The phone clicked off.

Cameron looked at the screen, her eyes frowning. Finally, she drove to the diner. House and Pete were digging into pieces of apple pie when she reached the booth. Pete slid over to make room for her.

"Something happened since we spoke," House guessed.

"Probably long before, but I just heard about it." She still hadn't assimilated the news.

"Hannah." House's face actually paled.

"No." She sighed. "You're old friend, Lucas Douglas."

House's fork fell with a clang. "Tell."

"I hadn't heard from Cullen so I called. I expect he would have let us know if I hadn't."

"I thought they were keeping an eye on him." House picked up the fork and resumed eating. There were at least two bites left on his plate and nothing would cause him to miss eating them.

She scratched her ear. "Guess it didn't take more than a few moments of inattentiveness. He's dead. Cullen thinks that exonerates him."

"But you don't?" He smiled.

One eyebrow went up. "Do you? Someone might have blamed him for the explosion, whether or not he did it. Or maybe even knew he did."

"Yes, that's possible." House's face twisted into a frown. "I hope Cullen hasn't ended the investigation because of this."

She shook her head. "He's shifted his focus to finding Lucas' killer."

Pete had watched their conversation, continuing to eat, but said, "How was he killed?"

"Shot." She bit her lip. "Cullen's looking for the gun, but so far nothing."

"Does Cuddy know?" House asked.

"He didn't say. I have a feeling she'll be more upset than ever about what happened at the hospital."

"Didn't you say she was sweet on him once?" Pete seemed to be trying to understand what they were saying.

"She was." Cameron thought back to what House and Wilson told her about Cuddy's relationship with Lucas. "I don't know whether she still feels something for him, but she tends to hold on to her passions." She looked pointedly at House. "Anyway, Cullen said he'd call when he had any further news." She signaled Chrissy and when the teen came over, she ordered her own piece of pie. Chicken could wait for later. She needed the sugar. And if she didn't finish it, that's what the human garbage pail was for. And finishing what she couldn't didn't just apply to food, which brought her back to Hannah. "I don't know whether Hannah will speak with you, but perhaps someone who's had a similar experience to her might..."

House dropped his fork again. "No." He looked down for a full minute before facing Cameron again. "Only as a last resort."

She nodded. "Understood. Pamela will ask the psychologist the League uses to call me. Maybe she has some suggestions."

House said nothing.

She turned her attention to Pete. "How was the fishing today?"

"Darn good. Caught us some good size striped bass. Won't be surprised if it ain't on the menu here tonight." He pointed toward the kitchen.

"That's great, Pete. How much longer will you go out into the Bay?" She knew nothing about how long the fishing season was.

The old man's smile disappeared. "Depends on what the doctors find."

She hadn't meant her question in that way. What could she say? "Whatever they find, I doubt it'll stop you from doing the things you love."

"Ya think?"

"Sure. How long have you fished in Chesapeake Bay?"

"Most o' my life. 'cept for the time I was in the merchant marines, that is."

"That won't have to change. Maybe, if they have to operate or do any treatments, there'll be a short time when you'll be too busy to go out in your boat. But afterward? You can go back to anything that you enjoy."

He stared at her, then shifted his gaze to House. "That true?"

House paused. "Yeah, she's probably right. You might not be able to lift a bucket full of your catch but you'll be able to drop a line, sit back with a beer, and wait for one of the big ones to bite."

"Well, all right, then." Pete grinned at them both.

Simpson walked in, looking glum.

"What's wrong, Bart?" Cameron asked as he sat next to House.

"Heather and Rocco aren't back yet. Haven't heard from them all day."

"Maybe someone at the hospital commandeered them to help with a patient." It was the first thing she thought of. She hoped that's all it was.

He didn't seem to agree. "Maybe. Are you all the way up to dessert already?" he asked.

House pointed to his plate. "This is dessert for lunch. Don't worry. You're early for dinner."

Simpson tapped the table and looked around for Chrissy or Linda.

"Relax, Bart," Cameron said.

The young doctor grimaced but his tapping ceased.

Chrissy approached with Cameron's piece of pie, and grinned when she saw Simpson. "Hi. Um, can I get you a slice? Or were you ready for dinner? We still have some of the lunch special, fried chicken. Or Mom's fixing some fish that Pete brought us." She indicated the older man with her chin.

But before he could decide, his cellphone buzzed, followed by House's phone. Color drained from his face. "It's Heather." He answered the call. "What's wrong?"


	53. Chapter 53

I can't promise when I'll be able to post the next chapter, since I'll be away for the Thanksgiving week and beyond. Hope you have a great Thanksgiving if you're here in the States.

 **Chapter 53.**

House had answered his own phone, but kept his voice to a whisper. Meanwhile, Cameron paid more attention to Bart's side of his conversation.

"Heather, slow down. What happened?" He listened intently. "Where are you? I'll be there as fast as possible." He was out of his seat before he put his phone in his pocket. "They had an accident, or rather they were caught in a multi-car pile-up. Rocco's hurt. They're taking him to Snow Hill."

House ended his conversation and nodded. "Let's go." He slid out of the booth.

"I'm coming with you two," Cameron insisted.

"Hope he's okay." Pete let her out.

"We'll let you know." She followed House and Simpson out to the parking lot. The three of them piled into House's car and took off south.

"I just knew something happened." Simpson's shoulders hunched. "At least Heather's all right."

"Sounded like it was a really big crash." House drove even faster than he usually did.

"Slow down or we'll have an accident, too. Who called you?" Cameron asked.

"The ambulance dispatch person from the hospital. He seemed to know that Magnani worked for me." He drove slower past a point where debris from the accident still littered the road. "Guess they figured I'd care about one of my team."

Cameron smirked. "Yeah, you're rushing down there 'cause you don't care at all."

House ignored her and continued driving. They reached the hospital in record time, parking in House's spot in the garage and walking directly to the ER.

Heather was pacing a groove in the waiting room floor. "He's in surgery. His shoulder is dislocated and his knees are pretty banged up." She touched the tiny bandages on her forehead.

"What happened to you?" Simpson asked.

"Just some glass. Superficial. I more worried about Rocco."

Cameron looked around the crowded room and spotted two empty plastic chairs. She pulled Jacobs toward them. "Tell me what happened."

Jacobs took a deep breath then let it out before beginning her tale. Meanwhile, House made his way to one of the orderlies who had just come through the doors from a treatment area. "Perkins, what's happening with Magnani?"

"Dr. House. I'm glad you're here. Monroe is working on his shoulder. We've been inundated with injured from the accident, but Magnani is one of our own. We worked on him first. He should recover completely, but he'll need therapy for that shoulder and some rest for the knees."

"Were they broken?"

Simpson stood at House's shoulder, listening.

Perkins shook his head. "No, but there are torn tendons in both legs and one's detached from the right knee."

"Ouch." Simpson winced.

"Guess you'll be covering much of his work the next few weeks."

"Luckily we don't have a patient," Simpson countered.

"How many were injured?" House asked.

"About a dozen."

Simpson whistled. "Heather said it was bad but that's a lot."

Perkins shrugged. "We've had more. Well, I have to get back to processing some of them." He walked off.

"We should tell Heather what he said." Simpson started for the chairs where she sat with Cameron.

House followed. "Trying to make her feel sympathetic to Magnani AND you? Hoping she'll take some of the burden from your shoulders?"

"Why shouldn't she?"

"No reason."

Both of the women looked up as they approached. "Any news?" Jacobs asked and started to rise.

"Dislocated shoulder and torn tendons in his legs are the official diagnosis," Simpson reported. "We'll have to help him during his recovery."

"What Simpson means is that he's volunteered to handle Magnani's part of the workload."

"Volunteered?" Simpson shot daggers House's way with his eyes.

Jacobs chuckled. "Boss, you know you don't have to saddle Bart with all of Rocco's duties. I'll handle some."

"Thanks, Heather. I knew you'd understand." Simpson beamed.

"Can I get anyone some coffee?" Cameron asked. "Besides House, that is."

"I'd like a diet Coke," Jacobs said. "Wait, I'll go with you. Should I bring you one, too, Bart?"

He nodded.

After a glance toward the treatment cubicles, Jacobs joined Cameron.

"You played that right." House took the seat Cameron vacated. He rested his hands on his cane.

"Dr. House, you don't like me very much, do you?"

"What makes you say that?"

The young man's shoulders hunched. "You're always assigning the grunt work to me."

"Ever think it's cause I know you can handle it?"

"No."

"You're smarter than you look. See, Jacobs would do whatever I tell her without a squawk. Maybe she'd put on a long-suffering look, but she'd never complain. Now, Magnani would do it to impress her." He watched Simpson's face to confirm he realized where this was going. "But you? You'll balk every time. That's way more fun."

"And you're all about having fun."

"I try."

Simpson let out a slow breath.

"The point is, in any case, the three of you will get done what has to be done." House tapped his cane once.

"But you have to play with us first."

"I just said you were smart."

The women returned with the drinks. Simpson got up so Jacobs could sit, but House remained where he was.

The minutes ticked by. Murmurs of others waiting to hear about their loved ones filled the room. More than an hour after House and Cameron arrived, Perkins returned to tell them Magnani was out of surgery and would soon be in the recovery room.

"Heather, why don't you and Bart go," Cameron said. "Rocco doesn't need to see House or me when he wakes up."

House grimaced, but didn't object. The two young doctors walked off together.

"I know you told Bart to take on Rocco's share of the load, but can he and Heather manage?" Cameron asked.

"As he said earlier, we don't even have a patient at the moment." He shrugged. "Guess we'll play it by ear."

About thirty minutes later, Simpson and Jacobs returned.

"He's still mostly out of it. They've taken him to a room to sleep," Jacobs said.

"Guess we may as well drive back to Shelby."

"What happened to your car?" Cameron wondered aloud.

"It was towed to a body shop." Jacobs rubbed her eyes. "I'll worry about it tomorrow. Guess I'll bum a ride with you."

"We'll drive down in the morning in my jeep," Simpson said. "It's Sunday, but we'll visit with Rocco and see what we can find out about Heather's car."

They walked back to the garage and piled into House's car. The drive to Shelby was uneventful.

"Did any of you ever have dinner?" Jacobs asked when they reached the house she shared with Simpson and Magnani.

"Nope."

"Well, don't expect me to cook, but there should be some leftovers in the fridge you can nuke. You'll have to excuse me. I'm off for a shower and I may or may not return." She looked exhausted.

Simpson walked directly to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. "There's got to be lasagna. There's always lasagna."

"Don't bother for us, Bart. We can go back to the diner and get some food there," Cameron said.

"Nonsense." House sat down at the table and waited for Simpson to heat up some food for them."

Cameron rolled her eyes, but helped Simpson get out plates and forks before joining House at the table.

Simpson uncovered a pan, sniffed it, recovered it and put it in the microwave. He punched in a few numbers. "I didn't want to say anything with Heather in the car, but Magnani didn't look well."

"He just underwent an operation. He has multiple injuries. How'd you expect him to look?" House tapped his cane.

The microwave soon dinged and Simpson took out the pan, cutting portions of lasagna for each of them and transferring them to the plates. "All I meant was it'll be a while before he'll be able to do much."

"So, we'll hold off on selecting our next patient. Or better yet, pick one you and Jacobs can handle with one hand tied behind your backs."

"Ha, ha. Very funny." But Simpson wasn't laughing. He took a forkful of food and chewed without any indication he tasted anything.

"Bart, if you need help, I'll make sure you get it, even if House doesn't."

House grimaced. He dug into his own food, but after a few minutes put his fork down. "Who did you have in mind?" he asked Cameron.

She shrugged. "The doctors from PPTH are filling in at Princeton General, but I'm sure we can lure at least one of them down here for a while."

The cloud over Simpson's face seemed to lift. "That would be great!"

"Don't count your chickens." House shook his head. "No telling what they'll say."

"But at least it's a possibility. I'm just hoping Rocco recovers fast."

"The three of you work well together." Cameron smiled.

"I guess we've gotten into a routine."

They finished their food, and House and Cameron stood to go. "Let us know how Rocco's doing tomorrow." Cameron brought the plates to the counter.

Simpson nodded. "We'll also have to check on Heather's car. She didn't say much about how damaged it was." He walked them to the door. "Thanks for the ride tonight."

As House and Cameron drove home, he asked, "Are you going to do the honors, or did you expect me to?"

She looked at him a minute, deciding what he meant. "I'll make some calls, but not tonight. I have too many things to think about besides coming up with a substitute for your team."

"You were the one who brought it up."

She pressed her lips together. "That's true. Maybe I'll start with Remy." She watched to see his reaction to the suggestion.

"And here I thought your first choice would be your ex."

"Nope. And definitely not Foreman."

"Why not?"

"Why yes?"

He pulled into the driveway, turned off the engine, but didn't get out. "What are the other things on your mind, besides a temp to replace Magnani? And besides Hannah? And besides Lucas' killer? Yeah, I guess there are a few things on your mind."

"You're forgetting the talk I have to give to two women's groups this week and the rest of my campaign."

"I wasn't forgetting. So, I guess you'll be busy again tomorrow." He gave her a 'you're neglecting me again' pout.

"Never too busy for you. Have anything specific in mind?"

"When do you see Hannah again?"

"She's actually not scheduled until Wednesday, but I told her before she left early yesterday that she could come back on Monday."

He nodded. "And those meetings?"

"Wednesday and Friday evenings." At least that's what Pamela told her.

"Simpson and Jacobs will visit Magnani tomorrow."

"Yeesss." She drew the word out to prompt him to get to the point already.

"Whaddya say we do a little digging on Preacher Briggs, and then we can call Wilson, give him the latest from Cullen and also ask who he recommends we tap to cover for Magnani?"

"Sounds good." She finally got out of the car. "The sooner we do something about Hannah, the better I'll feel. I almost wish we'd stayed in Princeton, though. I wouldn't be surprised if the investigation came to a head this week."

He got out and locked the car. "I'm kinda glad we came back here."

They entered the house, stopped to talk to Edna for a few minutes, then descended to the apartment.

"In some ways I'll miss this place," House said, tossing his keys on the counter.

"We've made a few good memories here. But we'll make many more in our own home."

"We already have."

She grinned.

House's phone played. He didn't have to look at the caller ID to answer with, "What's up Wilson? Were you're ears ringing?" He put the phone on speaker.

"Why were you talking about me?"

"We were toying with calling you tomorrow."

"What's up?"

"You called me. What's up with you?"

"Did you hear about your old pal Lucas?"

"Technically, he wasn't my pal, but yes. Cameron talked to Cullen earlier."

"That was it." Wilson sounded disappointed that he hadn't been the one to tell them.

Cameron quickly said, "But you're there, so we wanted to ask you to let us know of any developments. How'd Cuddy take the news?"

"From what I heard, not well. Not that she cared about him anymore. Just that he might have caused the explosion. Fact is, his death has the cops looking at her again as being involved."


	54. Chapter 54

I find I never posted this after I got home from New York – sorry for that. I'll post another chapter in a couple of days.

 **C** **hapter 54.**

"I thought we convinced the cops Cuddy wouldn't do that or even condone it," Cameron said. "Wilson, what do you expect us to do?"

His sigh was loud enough to be heard through the phone. "Talk to your friend Cullen. I'll do what I can here, although it isn't much. At least I'm remembering more each day. If only I could remember what happened the day of the explosion."

"Have you been back to the hospital grounds?" House asked.

"I planned to do that today. Something tells me there's a significant detail I don't remember that could help. The question is how."

Cameron sighed. "Is Jess there? Is she going with you?"

"Yes. In fact she was the one who suggested it. I guess I've been stalling going over there. But if it'll jog my memory, and that helps, I will."

"I'll talk to Cullen." Cameron checked her watch. "Not tonight, but maybe tomorrow, even if it is Sunday. My impression is he's working seven days a week on this in addition to the other cases he has. I can see why he's questioning Cuddy's involvement since he's convinced now Lucas was the perp. He's more focused on who killed him. I hope he doesn't think Cuddy did that, too."

"What a mess." Wilson sighed again.

"You can say that again," House muttered.

"Thanks for calling. Let us know if you remember anything else."

"You'll be the second ones I call after the cops."

When the phone call was over, Cameron and House looked at each other with identical grimaces. He broke eye contact first. "Nothing more we can do about any of this tonight."

###

In the morning as they drove to the diner for breakfast, Cameron took out her phone and pulled up a note-taking program. "Maybe if we decide the priorities of what we have to do today, it'll help."

"I knew you were a note-taker, but a prioritizer?" He snickered.

She shrugged. "It's my way of thinking when I have multiple tasks to tackle." She listed all the things they talked about the night before. "Since it's Sunday, there are some we'll have to postpone until tomorrow."

"Like anything to do with Hannah."

"Not necessarily, although I expect her family will spend the morning at their church." She moved the listed items around.

His eyes lit up. "Giving us time to nose around in their house." He pulled in at the diner, and they got out. The place was crowded as it always was on a Sunday morning but their booth waited for them.

Cameron frowned as she mulled over a possible investigation of the Briggs hosue. They'd entered patient's homes in the past in an effort to find a diagnosis, but this was different. Besides the unethical and illegal aspects of a break-in, she feared they might get caught. A hospitalized patient wasn't going to come home and find them in their home, but the Briggs family might. "We need a legitimate reason to be there. Just in case."

He shrugged. "You're worried about Hannah. That's enough reason for me."

"I don't want to test Chief Anderson's good will toward us when we're accused of trespassing or worse."

"Gimme a minute and I'll come up with an excuse." He drummed his fingers on the table and the expressions on his face went through his entire repertoire. "How's this? You call the house to speak to Hannah. When you don't get an answer, you go over there to make sure she's all right. You could always say you knocked or rang the bell and no one answered, but the door was unlocked. No one could prove you picked the lock."

"And what will you be doing while I indulge in breaking and entering?"

"I can be the look-out." He sat back with a smug look on his face.

It was her turn to think about it. "Okay, on one condition."

"What's that?"

"That I actually call the house, and I actually ring the bell."

He grinned. "Deal. Now, let's eat." He waved Linda over. "I want the big breakfast, extra bacon."

She chuckled. "Some day you'll order something else. Doc, you want your usual too?"

Cameron nodded. She hadn't bothered to look at the menu. She took out her phone.

"Wait until we eat before you call Hannah."

"I'm not calling her yet. I wanted to know whether Wilson found out anything new. We also never talked to him yesterday about a fill-in for Magnani."

"It's a little early to call. Wait until after breakfast for that, too."

She grimaced. "If you say so."

"Here's our food." He dug in as soon as Linda put the plate in front of him.

Soon after she left, her niece stopped by. "Doctor Cameron, have you done anything for Hannah yet?" She sounded worried.

"Not yet, but we will. I'm as concerned as you are. She needs to tell someone in authority about what's happening to her and her brother and sister." Cameron pursed her lips to hold in whatever else she might have said.

"Chrissy, does she have any friends at school?"

The teen shook her head. "She mostly keeps to herself. A few of the kids make fun of her for what she wears, but most of us just leave her alone."

"None of the others belong to the same church as she does? No one else dresses like her?" Cameron asked.

"There are a couple of younger kids, freshmen I think, not her sister or brother. They cling to each other but she doesn't even talk to them."

Cameron shook her head. "That's so sad."

"There's a customer calling me, so I have to go, but let me know if you can do anything."

"Thanks, Chrissy."

House had finished half his breakfast and stolen a piece of Cameron's toast, but she hadn't yet touched her food. "Eat up," he said with a full mouth.

"I guess I should before you take it all." She took a forkful of eggs but stopped just before she put it in her mouth. "Did you have friends in high school? Was there anyone you confided in?" She forced the food into her mouth.

His mouth twitched. "Sure, I had friends. Guys on the team. But we mostly talked about inconsequential things. Sports, girls, the schools we applied to, sometimes certain teachers. Never about our home lives, our families, what we wanted."

"I wonder if Hannah's father will allow her to go on with her schooling. How could she go to college without his consent? He didn't seem supportive of her wanting to study medicine."

"I'm even surprised he's allowing her to work with you."

She nodded. "I might ask her about that, see what kind of response I get. I hesitate to ask, but did your father forbid you to study medicine or do anything else in your life?"

"Mostly I didn't tell him some of the things I was doing. No, his punishments were for the things I didn't do."

Sensing it was a sore subject for him, she went back to talking about Hannah. "So, perhaps she never told her father she was spending time at the clinic."

"But we told him."

Her frown deepened. "Yeah. And I'm worried that might have led to repercussions for her. I wish I would have thought about that before we spoke with him."

"Don't beat yourself up over it. He would have found out eventually."

"Maybe."

"All the more reason to see what we can find at the house. The sooner we get the goods on Briggs, the sooner we stop him hurting his kids."

Her eyes filled with tears. "He's probably the type who thinks, since they're his kids, he has a right, no, a responsibility to force them to behave the way he wants."

"Yeah."

Cameron looked at her plate. Little remained of her breakfast. "Time to call Hannah." She took out her phone and punched in the number she had. As expected there was no answer. "Ready?"

He nodded.

They waved to Linda and Chrissy as they left, got into the car and once again drove to the Briggs home. The street was empty and quiet when they arrived. House parked across the street from the house.

"Guess folks are in church," Cameron said. "Not just the Briggs family, but also the others living here."

"Makes it easier for us." House walked between the Briggs house and one next to it. A chain-link fence circled the yard, but the gate was unlocked.

Cameron followed him into the small unimproved backyard they saw the other day. She tried the back door on the off chance it might be open too, but it was locked. She tried to peer through the glass in the upper half of the door. Chintz curtains in a soft yellow covered the panes.

They walked back around to the front of the house and she rang the bell, thinking of a possible explanation for her return visit. But there was no one home.

House took out a credit card and easily opened the front door. Silence and darkness greeted them. Heavy curtains covered every window. While Cameron practically tip-toed through the small entry to a hall leading to the back of the house, House's usually limping step broke the silence. The walls they passed were free of any pictures or other ornamentation. They reached the immaculate kitchen and turned back.

"What should we look for?" Cameron whispered.

"I doubt there are whips and cattle prods." House's voice reverberated in the empty house.

"This was a bad idea." She walked toward the door, but House grasped her arm.

"You stay down here and I'll check upstairs," he said.

Cameron glanced at his leg and cane and shook her head. "I'll go up. See if I can find Hannah's room, although I doubt she'd leave anything around that her father could use against her."

House nodded. "Okay, I'll see what I can find down here."

She climbed the stairs to the second floor. As she expected, there were three bedrooms and a bathroom. Instead of Hannah's room, she entered the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet. Inside was an assortment of band-aids and some toothpaste, but not the analgesics and cough medicines found in most people's homes. A resistance to modern medicine was one thing, but the absence of any over-the-counter meds took it to a different level.

The bathroom was as immaculate as the kitchen. Not a hair or speck of dust. Cameron shook her head and left the room. She finally looked for Hannah's room. Aside from a pink bedspread, there were no clues to the occupant. The single bed was made and the tops of the pine dresser and desk were free of any paper, pens, or the usual items found in most girls' rooms. No comb or brush, no jewelry box, no trinkets of any kind. Hannah didn't have a computer or TV either.

Cameron found the place depressing. She could only imagine how Hannah found it. She opened a dresser drawer to find neatly folded underwear. The next one held socks, lined up and arranged by color. The desk had no drawers. Where did she keep her schoolbooks? The room seemed unlived in.

She opened the closet door. A row of white long-sleeved blouses, the kind she'd seen Hannah wear, was next to three dark-colored long skirts. The shelf above the clothing was empty. The only thing on the floor of the closet were two pair of plain shoes. Cameron felt sad as she closed the door and looked around the room once more. She sighed as she descended the stairs to find House waiting for her.

"Well?" he asked.

"Nothing. No sign of life. It's depressing. And the medicine cabinet is sparsely filled with the simplest OTC meds." She shivered. "Let's get out of here."

He nodded. "The house feels as if no one's been in it for quite some time. Even the refrigerator holds only the most basic food."

"I can't imagine living like this. It's depressing."

"I'd check out the garage, but can't believe we'll find anything." They left the house, making sure the lock clicked, then got into the car and drove off.

"I need something positive to counter the mood that house, especially Hannah's room, put me in."

"We can drive out to our place," he suggested.

Cameron nodded. "Let's do that." As they drove, she made the call to Wilson that she'd put off earlier.

He answered on the second ring. "Cameron, good morning."

"Hi, Wilson. You hear anything?"

"Not yet. We're at the hospital, or what's left of it. Parts are still cordoned off. It looks like only one corner and the parking garage are left."

"Yes, we drove by when we were in Princeton." She knew he had a reason to visit the sight. "Did you remember anything else?"

"No. I expected to, but all that being here brings back are incidents that happened when House was still here." He sounded disappointed.

"Did you ever retrieve any of the things you were packing when the hospital exploded?"

"No. I planned to use that as an excuse to talk to the police about what they've found out."

She agreed that was a good plan. "Well, let us know if you learn anything."

"Will do. But I can't promise anything." He ended the call.

It looked like they weren't getting anywhere.


	55. Chapter 55

Again, I have to apologize for neglecting to post chapter 54 sooner, but I should be able to post regularly now for a while. Here's 55.

 **Chapter 55.**

All they learned at the Briggs' home was that Hannah lived an austere life. But that wouldn't explain her reaction to the file on the two injured little ones.

"I have to find out how the Quentin twins are doing," Cameron said as they drove back through Shelby.

"Those the kids Hannah freaked over?"

"Yeah. I should have thought to check in on them when we were in Snow Hill yesterday. Guess my mind was too preoccupied with Rocco. Don't you want to know how he is today?"

House shrugged. "Simpson and Jacobs are doing that. They'll let me know if there's anything I need to be concerned about."

She frowned as she pulled out her phone and dialed the hospital. "This is Dr. Allison Cameron. I'd like an update on the condition of Bobbie and Billie Quentin."

"Just a second and I'll switch you," the operator replied.

"I thought you said they were girls." House glanced at her for a second.

"They are." Cameron waited for someone to come on the line instead of the horrible Muzak.

A male voice said, "Pediatrics, this is Simon, how can I help you?"

"Simon, this is Dr. Cameron. Two patients of mine underwent extensive surgery on Friday and I wondered how they were doing. Billie and Bobbie Quentin."

"Just a sec." The Muzak was back.

Cameron thought they'd done away with that years before, but it seemed the hospital still used it.

The same male voice returned. "Yes, you're listed as their primary doctor. Let me see. Billie will need another operation tomorrow, but she's in fair condition after Friday's procedures."

"And Bobbie?"

"Unfortunately, Bobbie's in critical condition. She's paralyzed."

"Oh, no." Cameron felt her heart constrict. "That poor baby." Tears began a steady stream down her cheeks. Through her sobs she said, "Thank you. I...I'll be there some time tomorrow to see them. Have their mother and father been with them the whole time?" The babysitter was under arrest for child abuse the last she heard.

"I don't know. You'd have to speak with the surgeons and the nurses caring for them about that."

"Well, thank you." She put away her phone and sat there in a daze.

"The kids Hannah freaked over?"

She nodded, then told him what Simon said.

"You don't have to visit them."

She inhaled, then let the air out. "I want to."

"Why don't you take Hannah with you?"

"What?" She was shocked but then the logic of his suggestion set in. "What a brilliant idea. If seeing their file could throw her into a panic, can you imagine what seeing them in the flesh would do? If you weren't driving right now, I'd kiss you."

"Hold that thought until I park." He pulled into the driveway and turned off the engine. "You were saying?"

She laughed and leaned closer readying her lips for one of his wonderful kisses. He didn't disappoint. They would have stayed there all night smooching but Edna's son drove in behind them, got out of his car and came around to the driver's side window.

"Get a room," he said and laughed.

His fiancee grabbed his arm and smirked at him. "Let them be."

House took enough time out to say, "Yeah, Duncan, let us be. You're probably jealous."

"Am not. I have my own hot babe." He put a hand around Celia's waist. Finally the two of them entered the house leaving House and Cameron to their activities.

At last they were ready to move on to something more. They let go and got out of the car, then walked hand-in-hand to the back door. Duncan, Celia and Edna sat at the table in the kitchen.

"See you all tomorrow." House didn't want to stop to talk to them.

"Allison, there was a girl here earlier, looking for you." Edna frowned. "I didn't know where to tell her you were. She looked frightened, so I offered to let her wait with me until you returned, or to call you, but she wouldn't have it."

"What did she look like?" Cameron expected it was Hannah, but wasn't sure.

"Dark-skinned girl, almost your height, in a long-sleeved white blouse."

"In this weather?" Celia exclaimed.

"How long ago?" Cameron asked. "Did she mention where she'd look next?"

House returned to her side from the top of the stairs to their apartment.

"We assumed you were at the diner," Celia said. "I think she went there."

House already had his phone out and punched in the number. He put it on speaker when Linda answered.

"Linda, is Hannah Briggs there?"

"Yes. Chrissy's talking to her. I was just about to call you."

"We'll be right over. Keep her there." Cameron's hand was on the door to the back. She and House sped back to the car and drove to the diner.

They found Hannah and Chrissy arguing near the doors to the kitchen.

"Hannah, I heard you were looking for us." Cameron put a hand lightly on the teen's shoulder. "How can we help you?"

Hannah's face was filled with anguish. Her frown couldn't be deeper. "Chrissy told me to wait for you, but I didn't have time. It's terrible."

"What is?" Cameron cupped Hannah's chin. "Tell me." She let all her own worry show.

"It's my brother, Jacob. My father hit him so hard. Mama is afraid to stop the bleeding and when I tried, Papa threatened me with the strap, too."

"How long ago did this happen?"

"Not long, maybe half an hour or forty-five minutes."

"But you weren't at your house then," House said.

Hannah's distress was now tinged with curiosity. "How do you know?"

He ignored her question. "Where are they?"

"At the church. In the basement. Papa says that's where God judges us and tells him to mete out justice."

"By hitting you?"

Hannah nodded. "Please come. Someone has to take care of Jacob or he'll be like those little babies."

"Of course." Cameron and House led the girl outside and into their car. "Where's the church?"

Hannah sat in the back, leaning towards the front seats. "On Locust, just past Ridge."

House drove quickly, hoping it wasn't too late. The church had once been a single family home, similar to the one the Briggs lived in. A sign outside was the only indication it was no longer lived in. Hannah's father's car was still parked in the driveway.

Cameron turned to Hannah. "You can stay here."

Hannah pressed her lips together to stop them from quivering. "No. I should go with you."

They entered the building together. Cameron didn't expect Hannah's father to still be beating her brother, but they heard the distinctive and rhythmic sound of something hitting flesh, over and over, moans and cries, and shouts of, "You know where she went. Tell me," the same words repeated.

They followed the sounds down a flight of stairs to a dark and cold basement. The shouts and smacks ceased, but not the moans and cries as Matthew Briggs turned to face them. "What are you doing here?"

"We're here to stop you and to collect evidence of what you're doing to your family." House glared at Briggs as he took out his phone to photograph the two small children huddled in a corner and Mrs. Briggs, struggling to pull on her blouse, but not before they saw the red marks on her back.

"This is none of your concern. I can do whatever I want with my family without interference from the likes of you." His eyes focused on Hannah. "You've been poisoned by associating with these two...these two..."

"Doctors?" Cameron supplied.

"And you." Briggs turned his attention to her. "Doing man's work." His voice boomed in the space devoid of anything but the seven people. "You should be married, home raising babies, not forcing poisons into them."

"Medicine isn't poison." Cameron knew there was no reasoning with him, but she tried anyway.

"Bah. The most blessed Lord did not mean for man to play God with people's lives. If they are meant to fall ill and die, no one should interfere." He spit the words out, his voice getting louder and more insistent, as if he were giving a sermon.

"The most blessed Lord," House's voice held barely disguised sarcasm, "didn't intend for man to whip woman, or man either. He bestows punishment, not you."

"I am His agent here on Earth."

"Oh? Where's the document that says so?" House got in the man's face. "I doubt He'd give you the right to raise a hand to your family, let alone a belt." He pointed to Briggs' weapon of choice.

Cameron couldn't believe House would say something like that, mostly because he'd always professed to be an atheist. She was glad he did, though it might not make any greater impression on Briggs than what she'd said earlier.

"You keep this up, your kids will wind up with broken bones or worse." House pointed his cane at the teenage girl. "Hannah can tell you what happens when kids with growing bones are beaten."

"Guess you know from experience." Briggs indicated House's cane.

House didn't disabuse him of what he believed.

"Papa, there are two babies in the hospital undergoing all sorts of operations because their babysitter hit them." Hannah dared to speak up, although her voice quivered. "Dr. Cameron says they might never walk again. I guess my bones have stopped growing, but Jacob and Esther are still so young." She stopped speaking and stepped back, away from her father.

Briggs shook his head. "There's a difference between a father punishing a child for wrongdoing and a stranger hitting them for no reason."

"Not to the child," Cameron said. "Tell me, Mr. Briggs, were you whipped as a boy? Do you remember what it felt like?"

"My father only used the switch on us when we did the work of the devil." His deep voice was well suited to preaching.

"And what did these kids do that was so wrong?"

"They would not tell me where Hannah was. Neither did my wife."

Mrs. Briggs sat on the floor in a corner curled up in almost a fetal position.

"And before Hannah left? She told us you were hurting Jacob even then." Cameron stared at Briggs.

Hannah moved behind House. Her father shifted enough that he could still see her.

"Hannah is under our protection," House intoned, then ruined it by adding, "I always wanted to say that."

"Jacob disobeyed a direct order to join us in prayer."

"I had to go to the bathroom." The boy looked down at his wet pants. Tears threatened to escape his eyes. "I asked your permission, but I guess praying was more important."

"Hold your tongue, young man," Briggs said.

"Is this something your God approves?" House asked. "The poor kid only wanted to relieve himself. I suppose that's a sin."

"He was being disrespectful to me and to the Lord. And he needs to learn self-control."

"How old is he, eight?" House rolled his eyes.

"He's nine but small for his age."

"Which means his bladder is small, much smaller than that of a grown man. It's not ready to be controlled for a long period of time."

"You speak of our sacred bodies in the house of the Lord. I've a mind to..." Briggs raised the hand holding the belt.

"Go ahead. I dare you. But you wouldn't try it with someone who can defend themselves against you, would you?" He brandished his cane.

Cameron put a hand on his arm. "That's enough. I believe you made your point." She turned to Briggs. "Mr. Briggs, if I learn that you are continuing this inhumane treatment of your children and your wife, I'll have to take the matter to the police. Chief Anderson is a friend of ours. Neither he nor the Children's Welfare League will tolerate such behavior no matter what your motivation. We're going now. Hannah, do you want to stay and help your mother treat Jacob?"

"Yes, I'll do that and also take care of my mother's wounds." Hannah walked to them.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow. I want to take you to visit the twins." That might not still be necessary to get Hannah to report what her father did, but Cameron wanted to hammer home the point.

"How are they?"

"They underwent multiple operations over the last couple of days. I guess we'll see whether those procedures helped."

"I'll be at the clinic at three or so, right after school." Hannah smiled at Cameron. "Thanks for coming with me tonight. You too, Dr. House."

House didn't reply, but Cameron said, "We want to help." She directed the comment mostly to Mrs. Briggs who still hadn't stood or said anything, but looked up with a plea in her expression.

"Are you the doctor Hannah talks about? The one that's teaching her to be a doctor too?" Jacob's high-pitched voice held awe. "Maybe I'll be a doctor too when I grow up."

"I bet you'll make a great doctor." Cameron tousled his dark hair. "Maybe when you're in high school you can work at the clinic the way your sister does."


	56. Chapter 56

Thanks for all the comments and for reading this story.

 **Chapter 56**

Jacob rewarded Cameron with a big grin.

But Briggs wasn't finished. "Hannah, I forbid you from going anywhere after school from now on. You should be home, doing your schoolwork and helping your..."

"Speaking of which," House interrupted, "don't you have any schoolbooks at home? Or any books at all?"

"The only book we need in our house is the Holy Bible." Briggs' glare was stony. "The children's schoolbooks are kept in the kitchen and they do their homework on the table where their mother and I can supervise. I will not have any of my children reading anything that refutes what the Bible teaches, even in their history books."

"And science books?"

"Blasphemy, all of them. It isn't man's place to question what God created, to theorize about our world and everything in it."

House nodded slowly. Cameron could see he was thinking of a retort that would shake Briggs, but she had one ready. "Are you so dependent on Him that you never wonder about anything?"

House added, "That bible you think has all the answers is printed on paper with inks developed by men using nature and natural ingredients. Using what your God has given us. He also gave us a mind that is curious, and curious minds wonder about how to improve the human situation. So you refuse to have your children immunized because the vaccines were developed by scientists and you'd probably be willing to see them die because you believe your God willed it?"

Briggs' eyes narrowed. "You call him my God, as if he isn't the God of all beings. Are you a non-believer?"

"I believe in what I can see with my own eyes, touch with my own hands. Oh, there are some things I take on faith, because I can't see everything. God? I believe he's a concept we invented to help us through the hard times, to give us meaning."

"House, perhaps it would be better if you didn't go on." Cameron rested her hand on his arm. "It's not helping."

"No, I suppose not. I'll just say everyone has the right to believe what they want, as long as it doesn't interfere with living a good and productive life." He smirked at Briggs. "We'll be watching you." He pivoted and started up the stairs.

Cameron followed, looking back once. When they'd reached the car she said, "Do you think we made any impression on him."

"Nah. He's set in his ways. But maybe we got Mrs. Briggs thinking and the younger kids too. We already have Hannah's vote."

"House this isn't a contest of wills."

"Isn't it?" He got into the car.

She did too."I hope our coming here tonight didn't make things worse for Hannah, her mother and her siblings." All Cameron could think about was what Hannah's father might do to her. "I have to report this to the police."

"It's Sunday evening. Anderson won't be there."

"I can leave a message, give Anderson a heads-up."

"Suit yourself."

"It's my obligation, not to mention what I want to do." She called the police station. "Hi, this is Doctor Cameron. Is the chief in?"

"Actually, he is. Let me get him for you," the receptionist said.

When he came on the phone, she said, "Hi, Chief. I wanted to let you know about a situation. A teenage girl who I'm mentoring may be in trouble."

"Hi Doc. What kind of trouble?"

"Her father is an overly strict disciplinarian. I know for a fact that he punishes his kids for whatever he believes is a minor infraction of his rules."

"Names?" Anderson prompted.

"The girl is Hannah Briggs. Her father is Matthew Briggs."

"Briggs, huh? Yeah, we've had reports about him before. A Bible-thumper of the worst kind. Not that I have anything against religious folks." He paused. "But when they use it to justify any sort of violence..."

"Tonight we found him threatening his family with a belt. It appeared he'd already hit his son for wanting to go to the bathroom during a sermon, and his wife for defending the boy." She bit her lower lip. "I'm afraid he may take our interference out on his kids, especially Hannah."

"I'll look into it. Thanks for letting me know."

"I'm glad I did." But it didn't make her feel any better.

"Do you have any evidence?"

"No, I'm afraid not, just our observations."

"Investigating abuse within a family unit is always tricky, but we'll do our best."

###

House drove off, back toward the high school where he turned right. "If she doesn't show up tomorrow, we'll have more reason to involve Anderson and the Children's Welfare League."

"True, but that will also mean we failed to keep him from hurting her and the rest of them. Did you see the welts on her mother's back? That couldn't just be from tonight." She noticed he'd pulled into the diner parking lot. "Don't tell me after all of that you're hungry."

"When did you ever know me not to be hungry?" He parked and got out. "Come on. You know Mo's food will make you feel better."

He was right of course. Besides, she wanted to tell Chrissy what they'd learned. Maybe Chrissy could watch for Hannah at school, keep an eye on her.

"Knew you'd be in afore long," Linda grinned at them. "Have a seat and I'll be right over to tell you the specials and take your orders."

Their booth was empty. Jacobs and Simpson probably hadn't returned yet from their visit to Magnani, or else they weren't in the mood to share.

True to her word, Linda appeared pen and pad in hand. "Tonight's special is meatballs and spaghetti with Mo's special marinara."

"Sounds great," House said.

Cameron had been looking for Chrissy and hadn't caught any of what Linda said. "What was that again?"

"Meatballs and spaghetti. Should I make that one or two?" Linda had already started to write.

Rather than having to decide from all the items on the menu, Cameron said, "Two. Linda, where's your niece?"

"Oh, she went home early. Had to study for a history test tomorrow."

"Guess I'll catch her another time." She frowned.

Linda nodded and went off to get their food.

"Why'd you want the kid?"

"I promised to tell her if we made any progress with Hannah. I also wanted to ask her to keep an eye on her."

"At this point, the fewer people we involve the better. You've already discussed this with Pamela and Anna, Edna, and any number of others. You've reported what we know to Anderson. Give it a rest. Let's see if she shows tomorrow."

"House, I feel a certain responsibility for her." She pressed her lips together, one corner pointing down.

"Why, because you think we've made her life worse? Trust me on this. It couldn't be worse. The best thing that's come out of this so far is that her eyes are open. She now knows her father's way isn't always right."

"I can't help feeling I could have done more."

He shook his head, a disgusted smirk on his face.

"This isn't because I'm too compassionate." She crossed her arms and then narrowed her eyes. "Is it?"

"You're asking me?"

"You delight in calling me on it when I go overboard with my need to help other human beings." She twisted her fork in her fingers.

"As well I should."

Their food arrived, giving her an excuse to be silent.

House didn't let a full mouth stop him. "Look, the kids need help, but you're not the only one who can give it."

She swallowed. "Didn't you just tell me not to share what I know with too many people?"

"When do you meet with the psychologist or whatever she is?"

"I don't know. I haven't heard from her yet. These things take time to set up."

"And you're talking to the Children's whatever on Friday?" he asaked.

She nodded.

"Dump the situation in their lap." He shrugged. "They'll know what to do if Anderson doesn't get anywhere."

"So now, after haranguing Briggs an hour or so ago, you want to wash your hands of everything?" She glared at him, as she processed what he'd been saying.

"Gave it my best shot. If it worked, fine. If not, I'm not facing him again." He shook his head. "He's heard what I had to say. Saying it again won't make him reverse his position. You and I both know, some behaviors and beliefs are so ingrained, there's no way to change them."

"You used to think people don't change, and then you did."

"Have I? Maybe."

They turned their attention to their food. They were almost finished eating when Simpson and Jacobs appeared.

"How's Rocco?" Cameron's words were rushed. She hadn't realized how anxious she'd been about him.

Jacobs smiled. "Much better. He'll be just fine."

"Yeah, in a gazillion weeks." Simpson wasn't as cheerful. "Any luck in getting us a temporary replacement?"

"We're working on it." Cameron made a mental note to follow-up with Wilson and with Remy.

"Well, don't wait too long. Who knows how many cases they'll send our way tomorrow." He pointed to their plates. "What're you having?"

"Spaghetti and meatballs," she said.

"Sounds good to me."

"Yeah, me too." Jacobs sat next to Cameron.

"What about your car?"

"It'll cost so much to repair, the insurance company decided to total it. Guess I'll have to look for a new one this week. And when I say a new one, I mean new for me, but likely used."

Simpson grinned. "You shoulda seen it. Busted lights, front and rear, cracked windows on both sides, one side mirror dangling by a cord and the other completely gone. It was as if it was hit on all sides."

"It was," Jacobs' face crumbled like the car. "I loved that car. My folks got it for me when I finished med school."

"Next time you should get something flashier," Simpson told her. "Sporty, and not that silvery color that so many cars are."

"Men and cars. They don't understand what appeals to women is different from what they like. I just want it to get me where I'm going, be safe and reliable. I want to be able to see out of it and not feel as if I'm fighting it for control."

"What, you're not impressed by a man with a red convertible?" Simpson asked.

"Maybe when I was sixteen."

Cameron laughed at their talk. She completely understood what Jacobs meant, but wondered what House thought. They'd only talked about cars briefly after Edna told them they could use the Alfa. At least this had temporarily taken her mind off her main worries.

Her phone beeped and she almost jumped out of her seat, hitting her right knee on the table. "Hello, Remy. I didn't expect to hear from you."

"I stopped by to check on Wilson today and he told me House's team needed a temporary assist? I wasn't going to call him directly, but could you let him know I'm available?"

"I'm with two members of the team right now. I'm sure they'd be happy for the help, but aren't you busy up there?" Cameron asked her.

"We've all been filling in where we can but now that the victims from the hospital explosion have all been released, the need isn't as great."

"When can you be here?"

"I have a few loose ends to take care of, but would Wednesday work? Is there a place you can recommend for me to stay?"

"The team rents a house together with quite a few bedrooms." She put her hand over the phone when she saw Jacobs wave her hands. "She's offering to come down here to help."

"What's she like?" a wary Jacobs asked. "Will she share with chores around the house? Is she messy?"

"Don't worry."

"Yeah, as long as you don't mind her hitting on both of you. At the same time," House said.

Cameron rolled her eyes.

"You can stay with them or at the motel next to the diner where we eat a lot of our meals. Up to you," Cameron told Remy.

"I'll think about it. I'll see you on Wednesday. And tell House...no, wait, I'll tell him myself when I get there."

Once the call ended, Jacobs had another question. "Is she the one you call Thirteen?"

"That's her name."

"Only you call her that." Cameron's eyes looked toward the ceiling.

"So she's definitely coming to help us?" Simpson asked. "She can have two heads and I'd kiss 'em both if she does."

Before House could say something, Cameron reached across the table and smacked his arm, although she hoped there wouldn't be any problems caused by Remy Hadley's arrival in Snow Hill. Time to change the subject. "Anyone want dessert?"

###

The following morning, after breakfast with House at the diner, Cameron rushed to the clinic.

"Carol, after Hannah arrives today, I'm taking her to Snow Hill to see the twins."

"Have you heard how they're doing?"

Cameron nodded. "Not well. One needed additional surgery and the other is paralyzed."

"Oh, no!" Carol clutched her stomach making Cameron realize how the news affected the soon-to-be mother. Hannah wasn't the only one distressed by their condition

"Carol, nothing like that will happen to your baby."

"How can you be sure? How can anyone? You hire someone to care for your child, but how can you be sure they won't hurt her?" She shook her head. "I may have to take more time off after the baby is born."

"I understand. Don't worry about it. It won't be easy to find someone to take your place here, but it'll probably be easier than to find someone you trust with your baby."

"I'm glad you understand."

The rest of the morning flew by as patient after patient came in. That time of year, it was suspected colds that turned out to be allergies, injuries from attempted clean-up of yards, and upset stomachs due to too many apples and bowls of chili.

At lunchtime, Cameron and Carol strolled over to the diner. Cameron wasn't surprised by Chrissy's absence, although she was anxious to know whether Hannah showed up at school.

In the afternoon, fewer patients appeared at the clinic doors. Cameron's eyes strayed often to the clock on the wall of the examination room. But three o'clock came and went with no sign of Hannah.

Cameron waited until four before panicking. She called the Briggs house without getting an answer. Then she put in a call to Anderson to update him.


	57. Chapter 57

Thanks for all the comments and for reading this story.

 **Chapter 57.**

"Are you still going to the hospital, even without Hannah?" Carol asked. "I'll stay a little longer in case we have more patients, and tell them to return tomorrow."

"Yes, I suppose I'll go." She hadn't told Carol about the confrontation with Mr. Briggs the day before. "If Hannah shows up before you leave for the day, call me."

All Cameron could think about was what Hannah's father might have done to her. She got into her car and drove off, hoping Anderson would be able to help Hannah, although she wished the teen was with her on this trip to Snow Hill. Her mind switched to concern about the twins. She hoped the prognosis for both of them had improved since the day before.

Every time she entered the hospital she thought about what a better atmosphere it had compared to PPTH. It was certainly better for House.

She found the twins' room easily. Their mother stood next to one of the beds, staring down at her tiny daughter.

"Mrs. Quentin, how are the girls doing today?"

She turned to her. "Doctor Cameron, I didn't expect you to visit."

"I've been very concerned about Billie and Bobbie. How did yesterday's surgeries go?"

Fran Quentin pointed to the other bed. "Billie's doing much better after her latest operation."

"And Bobbie? Any change?"

The mother shook her head. "She's still paralyzed. You knew about that?"

"Yes, when I called the hospital yesterday they told me. What's her prognosis? Have they said?"

Fran sighed. "Not good. She may regain use of her arms, but the legs are a different story." She looked down as tears dripped from her eyes. "With time and a lot of physical therapy she might be able to walk with the help of crutches. My poor baby!" Her sobs rocked her body.

Cameron placed a hand on the woman's back. The gesture seemed to calm her. "Whatever I can do after the girls are home again, I will. Just call me, okay?"

"Dr. Cameron, thank you so much. We won't be able to take them home for at least a week, but knowing that you're nearby will help. I'm not sure Steve and I can handle this alone."

"Do you have any relatives who can come to help out?"

"My sister is busy with her own family, but my mother promised to visit when she can. She lives in Philadelphia and still works." The ghost of a smile. "She's looking into taking family medical leave, though."

"That's good."

"And our neighbors have been wonderful."

"Shelby's a good town in that way."

"Yes."

Billie woke and cried out for her mother. Fran moved over to her bed. "I'm here, precious. Mommy's right here."

Cameron took that opportunity to leave. As long as she was in the hospital, she went to House's office, but he'd already left for the day. It was four thirty, after all. Jacobs and Simpson remained in the conference room. "How's Rocco today?"

"He's milking it for all he's worth," Simpson replied, and Jacobs slapped his hand. "They had to reset his leg. We were going to finish with these files and go see him. Wanna come?"

"Sure." She stood, waiting for them, but she didn't have long to wait.

Magnani was in a room on the fourth floor, not far from the door to the rooftop garden. He half-sat against the raised portion of his bed, reading a book of recipes.

"Looking for something to cook us when you recover?" Simpson asked.

"Yeah. I'm tired of making the same Italian recipes everyone always expects. This one's on Chinese food and the other," he pointed to a larger book on the nightstand, "is on classic French food."

"Chinese is good, but I'll take a pass on that French stuff." Simpson turned the book over and read the back.

"How are you feeling, Rocco?" Cameron asked.

He inhaled, then let the air out. "Better, but the pains are still there, just not as intense. They tell me I'll need a lot of physical therapy."

She nodded. "That's likely."

"Have you been able to arrange some help for Heather and Bart?"

"Didn't they tell you? Remy Hadley, one of House's former interns, will arrive on Wednesday to help out temporarily."

"The one he calls Thirteen?"

"Yes. It's an artifact of a game he played to select a team." She wondered why the name stuck with the woman. Maybe it was because she tended to be from unlucky.

"Where is he?"

"He went home already." She chuckled.

"Well, you don't have to stick around on my behalf."

"That's okay."

Simpson put the book back. "We'll leave soon, but Heather and Dr. Cameron wanted to check on you before we go."

He rolled his eyes and laughed. "Thanks for your concern, Bart."

"I mean..." Simpson shook his head. "We'll see you again tomorrow."

"Goodnight." Magnani's gaze focused on Jacobs.

"'Night, Rocco." She smiled.

They went together to the garage, but Simpson's car was in the employee section, so Cameron left him and Jacobs. Before she got in, she called House. "I'm at the hospital still. Where should I meet you?"

"Usual place." He ended the connection without saying more.

There was enough traffic that it took her forty-five minutes to reach the diner. House was tapping his cane when she walked in.

"Traffic."

He stopped. "Uh-huh."

"Did you eat?" All he had in front of him was a full coffee mug.

"Waiting for you."

She half-smiled. "So that's why you were so anxious."

He was too quick to deny it. "Wasn't anxious."

She chose to ignore him. "It's not like you to wait for anyone."

"Well, I did."

She guessed he'd been there at least the forty-five minutes, from the time she called. Or had he? She looked around. "Where's Chrissy?"

"Helping in the back." He pointed his chin at the door to the cooking area.

"Did you ask her about Hannah?" she asked.

"She didn't show at school today."

Cameron sucked in air. "You told Anderson about that, right?" A light dawned. "Is that where you've been? Talking to Anderson? Looking for Hannah?"

"The family's gone. They're not at home, not at the church. Disappeared."

Cameron put a hand over her eyes. "Oh, no."

"Oh, yes. Anderson has an APB out on them, not just in Shelby but in every town within a sixty mile radius."

"They could have gone anywhere. Has anyone seen them since last night?" She bit her lip.

House shook his head. "Anderson tried to get a warrant to search the house, but it'll take at least until tomorrow morning."

"We should have told him sooner. I should have."

"And what could he have done?" He played with his spoon.

"Something. Anything. Oh, Greg, this is awful." Her cheeks were inundated with tears.

He stared at her."It's in Anderson's hands now."

She shook her head. "I can't just sit here and calmly eat. We have to do something." She started to stand.

"Sit." He sighed. "Anderson's on his way with the latest. We do what he tells us to do, nothing more, nothing less."

She nodded slowly as she sat again. "You should have told me that in the first place."

"Yeah, well. You know me. So how are the twins?"

Her mind switched gears. "Not great. With therapy Bobbie may regain use of her arms, but her legs? Doubtful. Billie's still recovering from surgery. She's doing better than her sister. House, I offered to help the family after they bring the girls home."

"Kinda expected that. And Rocco?"

"He'll be chafing at the bit before long, but I told him Remy will hold down the fort until he's able to jump in."

"With two feet?" He laughed. "Can't believe you used that many cliche's in one sentence."

"I did, didn't I? Shows how unhinged I've been. Still am." She glanced toward the door but it didn't open.

Linda came over to take their orders, so Cameron had to think about what she'd be able to eat. "I'll have some of Mo's mac and cheese."

"Comfort food, huh?" House ordered the special, goulash with noodles and sour cream. "Chief Anderson will be joining us soon, but I won't order for him."

Linda nodded and went to place their orders as her niece stopped by.

"Did Dr. House tell you Hannah wasn't in school today?" Chrissy asked.

"Yes."

"I'm worried about her."

"We all are." Cameron placed her palm on the teen's hand.

Anderson came through the door, Chrissy let him slip into the booth, and Cameron relaxed a little more.

"Chrissy and I were saying how concerned we are," Cameron said.

"Looks like the family skedaddled not long after you folks visited last night. My men have canvassed the neighbors. Far as we can tell, the Briggses stopped briefly at the house, loaded up the car and took off."

"That's not good." Cameron's eyes filled again.

"No, it isn't. We've got an all-points on the car but they could have gotten on a plane and flown to anywhere by now."

House shook his head.

"Why not?" Anderson asked.

"I'm pretty sure Briggs would never set foot on a plane. Train, maybe, but not a plane. I'm even surprised he drives a car. But people like that bend their beliefs to fit the circumstances. Still, no plane." House shook his head to emphasize his point.

"Well, railroad stations are covered, too. Baltimore, Union Station in DC, even stations in Virginia. So far no sign of them."

Linda brought House and Cameron's dinners. Anderson took one look at House's plate and smiled up at the waitress. "I'll have what he's having." She smiled back and left.

"Don't wait for me," Anderson said. "You must be hungry." Then he saw how Cameron played with the macaroni in front of her. "You're really worried about Hannah, aren't you?"

"I feel a certain responsibility. I doubt I could have done more, but I wish I had."

Anderson nodded. "Yeah, I feel that way sometimes, too. It's hard when you can't control the behavior of other people or the lives of their victims."

"Oh, that we could," House muttered.

The chief's phone beeped. "That'll be one of my men." He glanced at the screen as he answered. "Yes, Reynolds?" He listened for a minute or more, his frown deepening with every second. "Thanks for calling immediately." He ended the call and sighed. "They found Briggs' car, abandoned at a bus station in Baltimore. Police there checked to see whether he'd used a credit card to purchase tickets, so we'd know where they went, but if he bought passage, he used cash."

"He could have been trying to put us off his trail and gone to the train station instead," House said.

"They checked there, too." Anderson looked down. "I'm afraid we lost them."

"What if they stayed in Baltimore? Or bought a car there?" Cameron was grasping at possibilities, especially ones that still left them with possible methods of tracing the family.

"They're checking the hotels in the city, but you have to realize there are thousands." Anderson rubbed the lower part of his face. "Guess we can check the used car dealers, even the sleazier ones. We're not giving up, it's just we're stumped for now."

When his food came, he ate slowly, his eyes unfocused, his body hunched.

House and Cameron exchanged a look, but didn't interrupt his thought process. Anderson finally put down his fork, wiped his mouth and said, "I wonder if they have any relatives in Baltimore."

"Hannah never mentioned any to me, but that's possible."

"It'll give us another place to look." He pulled out his phone again and punched a couple of numbers. "Reynolds, ask the Baltimore folks to check car dealers, and also find out whether the Briggs had relatives in the city." He put away his phone.

"When will your men be able to search the Briggs home?" House asked.

"We still don't have the warrant, but as soon as we do, you can be sure we'll have men swarming all over the place."

"Briggs said the kids did their homework in the kitchen under their parents' watchful eyes. See if the schoolbooks are still there." House twirled some spaghetti on his fork.

Anderson made a note of House's suggestion. There might still be clues under the stones they hadn't turned.


	58. Chapter 58

Hope you all have a Happy New Year.

 **Chapter 58.**

Cameron's phone pinged and her eyebrows squeezed together. She looked at the screen. All it said was Baltimore. "Hello?"

"Dr. Cameron, it's Hannah. We're at my Aunt Paulina's house, but I think my father is making arrangements for us to go to Alabama. I don't want to go, but I'll probably have to."

"Hannah, do you know your aunt's address?" She searched for a pen and something to write on.

"I think it's Beacon Street, um, two forty-eight. We won't be here for long." The voice was low and rushed.

A male voice in the background began shouting, "Who are you calling? Put that phone down. Now."

As the call cut off, Cameron told Anderson, "Two forty-eight Beacon Street, in Baltimore. But they won't be there long."

He immediately called Reynolds and relayed the information.

"I'm afraid Hannah's father caught her making the call. Who knows what he'll do to her." Cameron's worries about the girl and her family had gone up a notch.

"At least we know where they are now. We'll find them, Doc." Anderson's food came and he started to eat. After swallowing his first mouthful, he added, "Reynolds is a good man. He'll bring Mr. Briggs back so we can charge him. Then, hopefully, his wife and kids will testify against him."

Cameron nodded. "We can testify to what we saw. The things Hannah told me probably wouldn't be admissible, though."

"No. You can only report what you saw, but that will help."

House didn't say anything. He continued to eat his food as if oblivious to the conversation, and Cameron glared at him. Finally he looked at her. "What?"

"You'll testify to what you saw, won't you?"

He shrugged.

"House, we have to do this. Hannah and her mother might be too afraid of him to accuse him of what he's done."

"I have faith in Hannah. She called you, didn't she? That took guts."

She felt close to tears. "I'll tell her you said so, after he's beaten her to a pulp and she can't say anything."

House looked at Anderson. "Do you think a jury would believe us?"

"It probably won't go to a jury, but if you tell, say, the Children's Welfare League, they'll take action. They may even have the authority to take the children away from him."

"I hadn't thought of that," Cameron said. "I do have to call the psychologist that works with them. First thing tomorrow morning."

"She'll probably tell you the same thing I did, or at least something similar." As he finished eating, his phone rang. He listened to Reynolds' report and frowned. "No trace?"

He listened a bit longer, then told House and Cameron, "They were gone when our men arrived, and Hannah's aunt refused to say where they went. Guess there's no rush to contact the league and the psychologist."

"I'll still do it. That way we'll know what we're up against if they're ever found."

Anderson started to rise. "I'd better get on home. My wife is already on the warpath because I worked today."

"Tell her about Hannah's family," Cameron said. "She'll understand."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Anderson shook his head.

"So close," Cameron said. "Hannah's in a ton of trouble, too, for calling me."

"You don't know that." House sipped his coffee.

"I do. House, you saw what he did when Jacob didn't sit still to listen to his sermon. I'm sure Briggs will see her call as cause for even worse." She stared at him. "You of all people should know how that works."

"It depends on whether he knows she called you."

"They left right afterward. Besides, do you really think a man like that would need proof? He gets his kicks from hitting kids, and who better than his own?"

Anderson nodded. "I've seen enough abusers to know Dr. Cameron's right. Men like that don't need any provocation."

House lowered his mug to the table. "Okay. Granted. But sitting here, feeling helpless, doesn't improve the situation. If there were a way..."

Anderson rubbed the side of his nose. "There just might be. I mean besides the guys pursuing the family. What did Hannah say? Word for word."

Cameron recalled the conversation. "She said, 'We're at my Aunt Pauline's house, but I think my father is making arrangements for us to go to Alabama. I don't want to go, but I'll probably have to.' and then she gave me Paulina's address."

"So they're heading to Alabama." Anderson smiled. "There are only a few ways they can go there. We already have the airport, bus station and train station covered in Baltimore."

"But Briggs doesn't know that," House said.

"No he doesn't. Still, I think he's smart enough to know it's likely. Which means he'll have to drive."

"Well, that narrows the search." Cameron's mouth pursed.

"I know that look." House stared at her. "Why am I thinking that we're in for a long drive south?"

"We don't even know where in Alabama they're going, but..."

"But if we leave now and take the Alfa..."

Anderson waved a finger at them. "You'd better obey the speed limits. No use getting stopped by a state trooper with a quota to fill."

"So, you won't stop us?"

Anderson hesitated. "Mind if I tag along? I know it'll be cramped in that sports car, but it's been a long time since I've been in pursuit of anyone, and Briggs is just the kind of guy I'd be happy to pursue."

House and Cameron exchanged glances. "Oh, what the hell!" he said. "At least when we find them, you can make it official."

Anderson beamed at them. "I'll just go home and grab a bag. Small one. And meet you at Edna's."

They finished their coffee, waved to Linda and headed out.

House and Cameron drove home, each deep in contemplation. They parked on the street and entered the house through the back door.

The kitchen was empty, so they went down the stairs to their place. "A change of clothes for one day should be enough." Cameron was glad to be doing something. Somewhere along the way she'd have to notify Carol to tell folks coming to the clinic that she'd be gone for a day.

House sat on the couch tapping his cane.

"Do you really think we'll catch them?" She closed the bag.

He shrugged. "Chasing them beats wondering if the cops will."

"Don't forget, we'll represent the cops with Anderson along."

"Still not sure why we agreed, but he looked so eager to go."

A dry chuckle. "He'll be good to have with us. Let's head upstairs to wait for him."

As they reached the kitchen again, a tap sounded on the back door.

"Ready?" Anderson asked. He carried a bag smaller than the one Cameron held.

House took the Alfa out of the garage and they piled into it. It was a tight fit, especially with the suitcases. It was going to be a mighty uncomfortable ride.

"How big a head start do you think?"

"You spoke to Hannah over an hour ago."

"Closer to two, but they must have taken off soon after, since there wasn't a trace of them when the cops in Baltimore went to check."

"So, say two hours tops."

"How far would you say it is?" Cameron asked.

Anderson pulled out his phone and looked at the GPS. "Thirteen or fourteen hours from Baltimore."

"They'll take a different route, won't they?"

"We might be able to catch up to them in Atlanta." He tapped the cellphone. "I checked the maps and that's where the routes converge."

"Gimme that." House reached for it, but then had to hand it to Cameron. "Turn on the sound."

She smirked but did as he said, then held on to it. "Keep your hands on the wheel. I've turned up the volume so you can hear when to make turns."

For the next couple of hours silence filled the car except for the occasional mechanical voice keeping them on course.

During one lull, Anderson said, "Since we didn't know where in Alabama they're headed, I arbitrarily picked Selma. It's in the middle of the state."

"Hopefully we'll stop them before they cross the border from Georgia." Cameron wondered something, though. "How will we know their car? They're not in Briggs' sedan."

"I'm not sure," Anderson said.

"We'll know. I'll know." House smirked.

They made a pit stop for gas, snacks and bathrooms in Madison, Georgia. Anderson offered to drive for a while.

"You just want to get your hands on the wheel of this baby, don't you?" House chided, but he was really too tired to argue. Driving through the night wasn't his ideal. Then again, he could imagine what the tension was like in the car they were chasing. Briggs didn't appear the type to let anyone drive him. "Be my guest."

House woke with a start when the car slowed down. He was surprised to see Cameron driving.

"We're getting into Atlanta traffic." She easily wove back and forth from lane to lane.

"No way to see their car with all these others."

Daylight began to reach them from behind and to their left as they joined the beltway around the busy city.

"Once we get out into open country again, I'll take over," House said.

The sun was overhead by the time they stopped again.

"Still no sign of them."

"And what would be a sign?" Cameron turned narrowed eyes toward him. "House, what are you watching for?"

"Watching for? I think the answer's obvious." He pointed to the vehicle three cars ahead of them, obviously overloaded. The shabby old sedan had Maryland plates.

"How do you know?" she asked.

But Anderson answered for him. "Briggs picked the most inconspicuous car he could without any thought to the comfort of his passengers."

"It's even older than my classic."

"The only thing classic about your car is the man who drives it," she said, stifling a snicker.

"Nevertheless, that's them. I'll bet you..." he thought for something both valuable yet inexpensive and mentionable in front of a cop. Something Cameron would appreciate. But he couldn't come up with something. "Oh, look. They're exiting the highway, and so are we."

He took the off-ramp onto a county road that could stand a new layer of pavement. It was lined with gas stations and fast food emporiums. They bounced along, two car-lengths behind the vehicle they pursued. Unfortunately after a short distance, there weren't any cars between them. House slowed down, but kept his eyes on the sedan.

When the other car turned into a gas station, he drove past and then circled back, pulling up to the convenience store of the station. Anderson got out and walked inside to provide an explanation for why they stopped, but Briggs paid no attention to them as he filled up and entered the store to pay.

Cameron got out of the car and rushed to the side of the one holding the Briggs family, but the doors were locked. Mrs. Briggs tried to open it from inside, but shook her head. Briggs had rigged it so she couldn't.

Cameron went back to the Alfa and got it before Briggs could return.

He got into his car and took off.

Anderson came barreling out of the shop and barely had enough time to put on his seat-belt before House peeled out after Briggs and his family.

"We'll just follow them until they stop for the night, then have the local authorities surround the place and arrest him."

"On what charge?" House asked.

"Guess you can't call it kidnapping, but maybe some kind of coercion?"

"How much longer do you think he'll drive?" Cameron pointed ahead. "He's getting back on the highway."

"More important, do we have enough gas to continue to follow him without stopping and losing sight of their car?"

House checked the gauge. "We have enough for another eighty miles, I think." But an hour later he said, "I'll have to stop at the next exit."

"Good, 'cause I could use a bathroom," Cameron said.

"I'm calling a guy I know around here. He can keep an eye on Briggs' car for us while we stop."

The sun coming through the front windshield was almost blinding, but the ribbon of asphalt unrolled straight ahead. While Anderson called his friend, House watched for a sign for the next exit.

Anderson leaned forward from the backseat. "We can get out before Four Square at the Alabama line and Barry'll take over from there. If we have to speed to catch up later, he'll clear it with the locals."

A sign told them the exit was a mile ahead. They took the ramp to a service road and soon found an old gas station.

"Looks like it's been around since the days of leaded gas, but at least it's clean." House pulled up to one of the four pumps and got out.

Cameron headed directly to the office to find a restroom, and Anderson stretched his legs.

A bored looking attendant came out, offering to pump their gas. "Not many folks stoppin' here today."

"Or any day," House guessed."

The young man grinned at him, displaying a gap where one front tooth had been. "Ya could say that."

When Cameron returned she carried a white plastic sack. "Got some sandwiches. They didn't seem too stale."

"Yup, my ma made 'em this mornin'," the attendant said. "Or maybe it was yestaday."

House paid him for the gas, and they took off again. Cameron distributed the sandwiches. "What, no chips?" House complained.

"They only had the jalapeno ones, and I know how you hate them."

Anderson got on the phone again, but soon sputtered, "Whadda you mean you lost 'em?"


	59. Chapter 59

Welcome to 2017.

Chapter 59.

"Barry lost sight of their car after the next exit," Anderson reported in a disgusted voice. "Claims there were too many other cars getting on the Interstate."

"All we can do is take the highway and see if we can pick them up again." Cameron sighed. "I hope he's still searching."

"Yes. At least he knows what the car looks like and the license plate number." As an afterthought he added. "He's sure they're on the highway."

They got back on the Interstate and continued west. House went as fast as possible. "I'd speed up even more, but not with all this traffic. Hard to get around all the eighteen-wheelers." After a couple of exits, traffic thinned, and he could increase his speed.

"Are we in a different time zone?" Cameron asked. "My phone just changed."

"Yeah. We're on Central Time now that we crossed the border."

Every few minutes, Anderson checked with Barry, but his pal still hadn't found the elusive Briggs family.

"Based on that sign, we're nearing Birmingham." Cameron pointed. "There'll be lots more cars and also lots of exits."

"We could lose them completely there." House smacked the wheel. "I hope your guy finds 'em before that."

"Do you think they'll stop in Birmingham for the night?" Anderson asked.

"They'd have to be careful where in the city they stop. I think they'll go on, drive until it's almost dark."

"Stop for dinner?" The chief crumpled the paper that had been around his sandwich.

House shook his head. "Only if Briggs is hungry. He won't care how the kids or his wife feel."

Anderson's phone beeped. "Yeah?" He seemed to listen for a time. "Good. Just keep an eagle eye on them. You're coming up on heavy traffic again." He clicked the phone closed. "Barry found them again. He's staying closer than he had before. They're only about a mile ahead of us."

That was all House needed to speed up even more. He swerved around an old Chevy pickup and cut back into the right hand lane when he spotted a police car in his rear-view mirror. But the black and white zoomed past them without even a glance their way.

Cameron turned toward the back to ask Anderson, "Could they be after Briggs?"

"Maybe, but I'm not sure the locals are involved, at least not here."

"That was a state police car." House pointed straight ahead.

"Was it?" Anderson keyed in something on his phone. "I'll call the Alabama cops and also the ones in Birmingham. The more folks we have after them, the better."

Cameron frowned. "Long as they know that there are three kids and an innocent woman in the car."

Anderson shook his head. "Oh, they won't shoot first and ask questions later."

"Are you sure?" Cameron sighed. "We're not in Shelby anymore. They'll see Briggs dark skin before they notice anyone else is with him."

"Most of the cops I know down here are more sensitive than some elsewhere in the country. But I'll warn 'em 'bout the kids and Mrs. Briggs." Anderson tapped two more keys and listened for a response.

While he talked to the Alabama state cops, and then those in Birmingham, House kept driving, continuing to look for the car they pursued. Beside him, Cameron stiffened more than ever. House glanced at her. "I'd tell you to unclench, but I know that won't happen until you know they're safe."

Anderson's voice rose above a whisper as he told them, "Okay. They understand the situation and will give us as much assistance as they can, but they have other cases on their hands. They'll post cars at every exit watching for them to get off."

"Guess that's as much as we can expect. How much further to Birmingham?" House asked.

"The last sign said twenty miles." Cameron's voice sounded strained.

"Traffic will slow down as we pass through the city between more cars and lower speed limits," House said. "Maybe we can use that to our advantage."

"How?"

"I'd imagine Briggs won't be too happy about it. He'll try to drive as quickly as he can, but be hampered by the other vehicles. Who knows what he'll do, but your guy Barry can watch for when he does."

Anderson nodded. "Yeah, Barry's still watching their car. But what could he do if Briggs makes a move to speed up?"

"He can get in front of him and slow him down even more."

"You want to force his hand?"

But before Anderson could call Barry with their plan, one of the state cop cars called. "They got off at the exit he's covering." Anderson relayed. "The one for the mall."

They watched for the sign for that exit, and got off there, too, meeting up with the officer who called.

"Two other cars are tracking them," he said. "They didn't enter the mall, which is a good thing because it would be more difficult to find them in that maze." His radio crackled and a voice came through. "They're stopping at the Burger Shack."

"We can surround them there. Grab Briggs." Anderson took out his phone and called Barry. "Where are you?"

"I'm with the state guys, watching Briggs here at the Burger Shack."

"I'll do what I can for the wife and kids," Cameron insisted.

The policeman with them led the way to the fast-food restaurant. Cop cars were parked on either side of the vehicle they'd chased almost all day.

"I'm hungry." House pulled into a nearby parking space.

"Don't go in without one of the cops." Cameron got out of the Alfa and stretched. "I'll be right behind you."

House strode to the burger joint. A uniformed officer, almost as tall as he was, walked beside him. They entered and easily spotted the family at a table off to the side. Briggs back was to them, but sitting across from him, Hannah's eyes went wide with alarm.

"You led us a merry chase." House's voice boomed.

Briggs stood and whirled so fast his chair fell over. "What're you doin' here?"

The cop took our a pair of cuffs. "Matthew Briggs, you're under arrest for forcing your family to cross state lines and flee with you." He reached for Briggs' hands.

Briggs backed away. "Flee from what? You have no right to arrest me. What I do with my family is my business."

House shook his head. "Not when that involves beating them to within an inch of their lives."

"Who says? Ask 'em." He waved a hand to indicate his family. "Did I hurt you? Did I force you to come with me?"

Hannah stood defiantly. "Yes."

"You can't take the word of a rebellious teenager." Briggs' eyes narrowed. "You're doing this because I'm black."

"You could be green or purple. Battery is a serious crime."

"Well, there's no crime in a man taking his family out for some burgers of a night."

"Taking his family over a thousand miles for those burgers when you could get better ones in Shelby smacks of someone fleeing from something," House retaliated. "Were we getting to close? Did you think we'd tell the cops what we saw? Well, you were right. So here we are, Mr. Briggs. Don't know where you thought you were heading, but the only place you're going is back to Shelby for a thorough investigation of our claims you beat your wife and children."

Briggs' eyes darted from cop to House to another cop, and all around him.

"Your God will see you punished for what you did. I'd bet He doesn't condone such behavior." House had to get in one last word before the Alabama state cops took him away.

"We'll hold him overnight. Why don't the rest of you get a good night's sleep and head home in the morning."

Mrs. Briggs seemed lost.

"Why don't you finish eating," Cameron said. "We'll get some food and join you, if you don't mind."

"Please." Hannah smiled at her. "Maybe you can tell us what'll happen to us now."

House sat in the seat Briggs had occupied. "You know what I want," he told Cameron.

She and Anderson got in the short line to order. Once they collected trays filled with burgers, fries and onion rings as well as soft drinks, they returned to the table. While they were gone, Hannah and Jacob had added another table and a couple of chairs so they could all eat together.

Mrs. Briggs had been eying House warily but, when Cameron joined them, she asked, "What'll happen to Matthew?"

"We might make a case to hold him until the Children's Welfare League investigates the doctors' statements," Anderson said. "You'll be examined by doctors and any injuries documented."

"Will any of you feel comfortable testifying?" Cameron asked. She didn't want to force them to do anything.

"I will," Hannah said. But then she glanced at her mother. "Someone has to tell." Her lower lip quivered.

"Can I test...test…?" Jacob grasped for the word.

"Testify." His sister smiled at him.

"Yeah, that." He nodded. "Can I?"

His mother pursed her lips. "Jacob, hush now. It isn't right to talk negatively about your father."

"But he hurt us." The boy rubbed his arms. "He beat us and for no good reason."

"He gave you a reason." She sat stiffly.

"He was wrong," Hannah said. "Mama, he hurt you, too. All you ever did was to try and protect us."

Her little sister watched them with huge chocolate eyes, a French fry halfway to her mouth.

Cameron took one of the mother's hands. "Mrs. Briggs, if you tried to protect your children, you had to know what your husband did was wrong."

"Didn't matter. He had a right." Her chin jutted out.

Anderson shook his head. "No one has a right to physically hurt anyone else."

The little one piped up. "Papa hurt Mama, and Jacob and Hannah, too."

"Did he ever hurt you?" Anderson asked.

She shook her head. "He only yelled at me once."

"I'm not afraid to testify," Jacob said. "Mama, you can't stop me."

Mrs. Briggs sighed. "Well, don't expect me to. I promised to obey and that means something."

"We understand." Cameron squeezed the hand she held. "No one has to do anything they don't want to."

The sigh was deeper this time. "I don't know anything about the law, only about my beliefs."

"Mama, haven't you ever questioned whether those beliefs prevented you from helping us?" Hannah asked. "I've learned that we're not only hurting ourselves, but also everyone around us. I mean, if we don't get the shots Dr. Cameron gives kids, we can get diseases and pass them onto other people. Right, Doctor?"

"That's right, Hannah." Cameron smiled. She had gotten through to the teen.

"Is that true?" Jacob asked.

"Yep. And if we don't take medicines when we're sick, we could get sicker and even die."

"Oh." The boy sat back, deep in thought.

Hannah took her mother's other hand. "Mama, I still believe that God is watching out for us, but sometimes we have to help him along. There are too many people for him to take care of on his own."

"I just don't know what will happen next. How are we going to get home?"

"We'll all stay at a nearby motel overnight, and one of us will drive you home tomorrow." Cameron finally let go of Mrs. Briggs hand.

She nodded. "Do we have to let a doctor examine us when we get back to Shelby?"

"Mrs. Briggs, we have to ascertain how badly any of you were hurt." Anderson turned his attention to Cameron. "I can drive them home. Barry and one of the Alabama guys will take Briggs. You'll both have to come into the office tomorrow and make your statements."

Barry had joined them. He pointed toward the mall parking lot. "There are a couple of motels in this area that should be able to accommodate all of us."

"Can I keep my children with me?" Mrs. Briggs asked.

"Of course." Cameron smiled at her. "We'll get you a room with two queen-sized beds and have them bring in a roll-away."

"And we'll try to arrange our rooms nearby in case you need any of us," Anderson added.

"Mama, it'll be all right. I told you. I trust Dr. Cameron and Dr. House. And Chief Anderson, of course."

"Are we going home to our house?" The little girl didn't seem to grasp what the adults were saying.

"Yes, Sarah. But tonight we're going to have an adventure." Hannah smiled at her. "You and me and Mama and Jacob. We're going to a motel and all sleep in one big room."

"Oh." Sarah smiled back. "Long as we're together."

"And tomorrow Chief Anderson will take us home," Jacob said. "Guess we won't ride in a police car." He looked disappointed.

Anderson chuckled. "Jacob, I promise after we get back to Shelby I'll take you for a ride in one, okay?"

Jacob grinned. "All right!"

"So, everyone finish up while Barry and I go scout out a motel." Anderson stood and took his trash to the bin near the door. Barry went with him.

"You've all been so nice to us." Mrs. Briggs still seemed unsure.

"Didn't you expect us to be?" House asked.

Cameron smirked at him then turned her gaze to her. "We'll do everything we can to help you and the children. The next months won't be easy for you."


	60. Chapter 60

The road trip isn't completely over...

 **Chapter 60.**

The next morning they all met in the motel restaurant for the complimentary breakfast buffet. House piled his plate with food, as did Anderson and Barry. Watching them, Jacob filled his plate, too.

His mother shook her head. "Jacob, you're not going to be able to eat all that food. You'll waste it."

"But, Mama, it's a long drive home. Don't know when we'll stop. Besides, Dr. House and Chief Anderson took more 'n me."

"They're grown men." Her plate held a scoop of eggs and a slice of toast.

"And I'm a growing boy." Jacob flashed a smile.

"We'll stop the other side of Atlanta," Anderson said. "Barry has to go home, but I'll drive your car, Mrs. Briggs. We'll keep in touch with the docs by cellphone."

"Matthew doesn't approve of those things." She sipped her coffee then took a bite of toast. She hadn't relaxed since she'd been away from her husband.

Cameron swallowed a bite of sausage. "Sometimes they're convenient and other times necessary. Chief, why don't you give Hannah yours and I'll use mine while House drives so we can talk as we travel."

They finished eating. True to his word, Jacob finished almost everything on his plate. They checked out with Cameron paying for her room and the one the Briggs family used, despite Mrs. Briggs frown. They loaded the cars and set off.

Now that they weren't pursuing anyone, Cameron took the opportunity to watch the scenery. The city soon gave way to countryside. Fall in the south wasn't as dramatic as in northern states. Although it was late October, the leaves hadn't changed color yet. Trees she didn't know lined the highway that stretched flat ahead of them. Even the oaks looked different.

She turned to House. "Anderson seems anxious to convict Matthew Briggs."

"With our help." House kept his eyes on the road, and his voice was flat.

"I'm glad Hannah has the nerve to testify. Jacob was funny but I can understand how he must feel."

"I know what he's gone through. I almost wish I'd been able to do what he plans."

"House, your situation was different."

He shook his head. "Not really. I was punished for the same kinds of infractions as Jacob was. At least he might not have to deal with that much longer."

"Might not?"

"Briggs hasn't been convicted yet," he warned.

"You're worried what he'd do if he isn't?"

He glanced her way briefly. "Aren't you?"

She took in a breath through clenched teeth. "He's got to be angry. At us, at his family."

"Exactly. He won't act rationally. Probably never has, but now?"

"We'll have to be diligent, ask Anderson if there's a way to protect the family." She sounded determined.

"The Children's Welfare League will know what they'll need."

"So, I guess that means this may not be over yet."

"Not by a long shot." He paused as he drove around a slow-moving pickup. "We also don't know how much support Briggs will get."

"What do you mean? Do you really think there are folks out there who'll take his part?"

"Don't you?" He turned his head quickly to glance at her, then refocused on the road. "He's certainly not the only one who believes he was in the right, demanding blind obedience from his family. I'm not talking about religious people, more like domineering family heads."

Cameron's phone beeped. "Hello?"

"Dr. Cameron, we're going to stop at the next place we can. My mother needs a bathroom and Jacob says he's hungry."

"After all he ate at breakfast?" Cameron checked her watch. It was almost one. "Okay, we'll stop, too. House probably needs more food and maybe I'll take over for him for a while." The food sign for the next exit listed a number of fast-food places. "Looks like the next exit should work."

"Yes. Chief Anderson said he'll go to the McDonald's."

"We'll meet you there," she told Hannah.

"The car could use some fuel, too," House said.

Before she finished the call, she added, "House wants to stop at a gas station, too." She pointed forward. "That's their car."

"Yeah, I've been watching it. And the one next to it is the vehicle taking Briggs back to Shelby."

"They're both signaling they're getting off."

"We'll gas up first and join Anderson and the Briggs family at Micky D's."

They stopped at a gas station next to the fast-food restaurant. It didn't take them long, but when they entered McDonald's, they didn't see anyone they knew. Not Anderson, not Hannah and her family, not even the cops and Briggs.

"What d'you think happened to them?"

House shook his head. Anderson rushed in, our of breath. "He's got 'em." He bent over to recover. "Don't know how he got away from the state trooper, but he took his wife and two of the kids."

Cameron's forehead furrowed. "How'd he take them? One of 'em got away?"

"He had the trooper's gun. I think Hannah got away and he's chasing her down."

She looked out the windows. "Where could she hide? I'm so afraid of what he'll do to them."

Anderson nodded. "Probably thinks they turned on him, but what'd he expect, treating them that way? You shoulda heard the stories the kids told me in the car."

House looked down. "I can imagine. Hope you recorded everything."

"Yeah, I did, except when Hannah was talking to you. My phone can't do both at the same time. But I got a lot."

"Can you ask anyone to set up road blocks?"

"Already called that in. Don't know which way he'll go, but we'll find them again."

"What's he driving?" House asked.

"He stole a pickup. The trooper is talking to the owner now. Unfortunately, it doesn't have GPS tracking. It's a 2000 Chevy Silverado and we know the plate number, so it won't be hard to spot."

A loud whisper came from the hallway leading to the restrooms. "Doctor, over here."

Cameron hurried to Hannah and pulled her into a hug. "Thank goodness you're all right."

"But he got my mom and Jacob and Sarah." She swiped at her tear-stained cheeks. "We gotta get them back. We gotta."

Cameron nodded. "We're working on a plan. Chief Anderson knows what kind of truck your father stole and they have people looking for it."

"They won't shoot at him, will they?" Hannah was frantic. "I've heard stories about kids getting killed when someone shoots at their parents."

What kind of guarantee could she give the teen? "They just want to take him into custody again. No one will shoot." She didn't add 'if they don't have to'.

"Will we go after them? Jacob and Sarah must be so scared."

Cameron put an arm around Hannah. "Yes, I bet they are. Come over to the table and sit for a minute. Chief Anderson may have heard something more." She walked the girl to where House and Anderson still sat.

"Hannah, you okay?" Anderson asked.

She pressed her lips together and nodded twice. "Just worried 'bout my mother and Jacob and Sarah."

"Well, troopers spotted them not too far from here. They'll capture your father again and make sure you mother, brother and sister are fine."

Hannah nodded again, but her gaze remained on the floor.

"Did you want something to eat?" Cameron asked her.

"I couldn't."

"Get me another one of these." House pointed to the box that had originally held his quarter pounder. "And some more fries."

Cameron sneered at him. "Chief? Ready for more?"

"Maybe some of their soft-serve."

Hannah swallowed.

"I can bring you one, too." Cameron didn't wait for an answer. She got in line, made her purchases, and carried everything, including an iced tea for herself, back in a cardboard tray.

House inhaled the burger, but moved the fries between himself and Hannah, making Cameron smile.

Hannah looked up at House through her long, dark lashes and took a fry. When he nodded, she took another. She dipped the fry into her ice cream and ate it, then sighed. "Jacob always wanted to do that, but Papa wouldn't let him."

"I think I need some soft-serve, too." House looked up as if a genie would make it appear before him.

Cameron smirked, but went to get him some along with more fries for him to share with Hannah. It touched her heart that he would want to do that for the teen. Of course, the idea of French fries dipped in vanilla ice cream wasn't something she was willing to try.

By the time she returned to the table, they'd finished the first batch of potatoes. "Good I thought to bring you guys more." She chuckled as she placed them on the table between the two children, then returned to her seat.

Hannah swallowed whatever was in her mouth. "Dr. House said we could go after my father and mother after we finish."

Cameron looked at Anderson to see whether he agreed, but his face didn't show anything. He was too busy drinking his Coke. "That sounds like a good idea," Cameron said.

Still no response from the police chief. What was he thinking?

House and Hannah made short work of finishing the second batch of fries and their soft-serve. Hannah bussed the table, but didn't sit again afterward. "Are we ready?"

Anderson finally spoke. "Let me check in with the guys who are following the truck." He made two calls and then said, "They're heading back to Alabama. Does your father have any family or friends there?" he asked Hannah.

"He said we were going to his best friend, Charles, in Tuscaloosa. I guess he's still heading there."

Anderson nodded. "Do you know Charles' last name?"

Hannah shook her head. "I never heard of him until this trip. All he said was Charles."

"Least we know he's not going south from Birmingham. Think he'll try to make Tuscaloosa tonight?" House stood, ready to go.

"He seems unpredictable, but I'd guess he'd make a run for it. Probably thinks he'll be safe once he reaches his friend's place." Anderson pointed to the drink dispenser. "Think I'll get a few more gulps for the road. Hannah, you want to ride with me or with the docs?"

She looked at House and Cameron. "I guess I'll go with them, if you don't mind."

"No, of course. Wherever you're most comfortable."

"My things, and my mother's, Jacob's and Sarah's are still in the car you're driving, right?"

"Yeah. I hadn't thought about that. Did you want to get anything?"

She pursed her lips and looked down, then up. "Maybe my sweater."

He nodded. "I'll keep the rest safe until we get your family back."

She went with him to the car, retrieving not only her sweater, but also a book. Cameron opened the back door of House's car so she could get in. Hannah waved to Anderson, sat and put on her seat-belt. They drove off, following Anderson back onto the interstate, heading back to Alabama.

"How far is it to Tuscaloosa?" Hannah asked.

"I checked. It's less than three hours."

"But they're almost an hour ahead of us."

"There are several cops following them, keeping an eye on the truck. None of them want any trouble, but if your father leaves the highway, they'll surround him and get your mother, brother and sister away."

"I hope so." Hannah didn't sound convinced.

Cameron's phone beeped. It was Anderson.

"Just got word they're getting off the road. Seems to be something wrong with the truck."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Cameron asked.

"The guys who've been following them think he's looking for a repair station. They can surround him wherever he stops. We'll head for the same place."

Hannah wrung her hands, shoulders hunched. "I'm so afraid something bad is going to happen. Someone's going to get hurt."

"The cops are professionals," House said. "They know what they're doing."

"I hope so." She shivered.

Anderson told them the exit they needed, then ended the call as he raced there himself.

"Hannah, what are you reading?" Cameron wanted to get her mind on something else than what might happen in the next half hour.

Hannah looked at the cover. "It's a Frank Peretti book. He writes Christian adventure stories. We're only allowed to read what our father and mother pick out for us." She grimaced. "It's a bit young for me, but once I finish it, I can give it to Jacob. He'll love it." She put the book down and looked out the window. "How much longer?"

House looked at her in the rear-view mirror. "About a half hour. I'm driving as fast as I can. Don't want to end up in a jail cell next to your father."

She didn't seem to know what to make of that, but Cameron added, "Don't mind him. He'll joke as the ship goes down with no hope of survival."

"Life is serious enough. You gotta joke when you can." House was quiet after that.


	61. Chapter 61

Are we finally coming to the end of the road trip?

 **Chapter 61.**

Every once in a while, Cameron tried to start a conversation with Hannah, but the girl only gave one word replies. Cameron eventually gave up.

They reached the exit Anderson had told them to take. About a hundred yards along the service road, a cluster of cars, including cop and state patrol vehicles, surrounded the truck in a full-service gas station.

"This must be the place." House turned in and joined the group.

Anderson had his arms around the two children. Mrs. Briggs looked dazed. Two brawny cops held Briggs arms while a third spoke to him. He read Briggs his rights and added, "The charges against you keep adding up. It was one thing to force your family to come with you, but another to escape arrest and steal a truck. It'll be up to the jurisdictions involved to decide where you'll be tried for which transgression, but you will be tried. We have several witnesses to everything you've done yesterday and today. That is, besides your family."

Briggs still looked defiant, his chin jutting out and his eyes blazing.

Hannah ran to her brother and sister. "Thanks, Chief Anderson. You did what you promised."

"Even if it wasn't my job, I would have saved Jacob and Sarah." He let go of the kids so Hannah could hug them.

Mrs. Briggs joined her children. Tears covered her cheeks. "I don't know why he's been doing this."

"This time he won't get away," Anderson said. "There are so many charges against him, he'll be kept in a jail here until we figure out which takes precedence."

House and Cameron stood to the side, watching the cops do their jobs, and Hannah and her family stand together next to Anderson.

"All's well that ends well," Cameron said.

"Back to spouting cliches?"

"If the shoe fits." She smirked.

He laughed. "As I told Hannah, gotta find humor where you can."

"Briggs brought all this on himself."

House frowned. "I have a feeling his wife won't be much help. He has her so cowed, she still won't do anything she thinks he'll disapprove of."

Cameron nodded. "He beat her and bullied her, using religion as an excuse."

House nodded, muttering, "The way John House used the military form of discipline."

"But he convinced them all he was doing the right thing, and they deserved every punishment he doled out." Cameron shook her head. "How do you break through that kind of indoctrination?"

"You've already made some progress with Hannah and Jacob. They'll still need some counseling, not that I believe in that kind of mumbo-jumbo in most cases. But Mrs. Briggs – she'll be a tougher nut to crack."

"Now who's spouting cliches?" She studied his pensive face. "House, what made you decide what your father was doing to you was wrong?"

He scratched his head. "Guess I was rebellious by nature. Maybe I had my own ideas of what was acceptable behavior, so when he came up with his rules, even knowing I'd be punished, I disobeyed." He pointed his chin toward Hannah and her family. "They're more...docile, accepting. Bottom line, Briggs conned them into acting the way he preached."

Cameron sighed. "He twisted what the bible says to suit his own needs."

"Exactly."

"I wonder how much of that he believed himself."

"He had to believe it to convince them that what he said was gospel, even when it wasn't."

Anderson came over with Hannah. "Guess we'll start east again. I'll take the Briggs family. Meet you back in Shelby."

House nodded. "Hannah, you make sure this guy gets you and your mom and siblings home."

"I will. Thanks. Both of you. For everything." She looked at her mother. "I don't know what she'll do, I mean about testifying, but Jacob and I have seen enough to know our father wasn't always right, after all."

Cameron smiled at her. "Your mother will need to feel safe before she can think about what he did to her and you kids. I think in the end her desire to keep you, Jacob and Sarah safe will outweigh her fear of your father."

"I hope so."

Anderson led her to his car, where her mother and siblings waited.

House watched them. "Did you really believe what you told her about her mother?"

"It may have been wishful thinking, but part of being a mother is protecting your kids."

He looked at her carefully. "You sound like you know that from experience."

"I know you think I had a child once, but I didn't. I'm basing what I said on the mothers who bring their kids to me when they're sick or hurt. Nothing else matters to those mothers than the health and well-being of their kids. Hannah's mother has a long way to go to get that feeling back, but eventually she will. The longer she's away from Matthew, the more that maternal instinct will resurface."

He nodded. "We saw a bit of that at the church. He hit her because she defended Jacob."

"Right."

They got into the Alfa and took off. "Let's go home," he said.

"It can't be too soon for me. These have been a couple of action-filled days. Can't wait to get back to the peace and quiet of the clinic. And I've almost forgotten about PPTH. Gotta check in with Cullen." She looked at her watch. "He's probably in his office or out on a call." She punched in his number.

"Dr. Cameron, I thought you'd forgotten about me."

"Not a chance." She chuckled. "We just had...something else to deal with. On our way home now. So what's happening in your neck of the woods?"

"Remember Anthony Kenner? The boiler guy who was injured?"

"Don't tell me he's the perpetrator."

"No, but the more we learn about Danny Butler, the electrician who helped him out, the more we're leaning toward him. Did you know he and Lucas Douglas were pals from way back?"

Cameron remembered all she'd heard about him. "Hadn't he broken up with the woman who was killed? What was her name? Sheila something?"

"Yeah, Murphy. Our current theory is that Butler and Douglas planned a little accident, but it went horribly wrong."

"Where's Danny Butler now?" Cameron asked.

"He slipped away during the weeks after the explosion. We've only just uncovered his connection to Douglas since we're investigating his death, too."

"Do you think Danny killed Lucas?"

"Right now we don't know what to think. If only more folks would remember everything they did that day. It isn't only your pal, Dr. Wilson, who's lost his memories. Several others have blank spaces from right after the explosion, and even moments before."

"We'll call Wilson once we're home. See what else he's thought of. Maybe talking about Lucas and Danny will jog something."

"Maybe I shouldn't ask, but why are you out of town this time?"

She chuckled. "Someday when I have the time, I'll tell you all about it." She hit end, and turned to House. "They're looking for the electrician. Think he's connected to Lucas' death and to the hospital explosion."

"Didn't they investigate him before? Wasn't he the one who'd broken up with the woman who died?"

"Yeah, but at the time they didn't know he and Lucas were pals."

House let out a whistle. "Now that's something I hadn't expected. Still, have they questioned him again?"

"They don't know where he is."

"My opinion of your friend Cullen has just taken a nose dive."

"Honestly, I'm a bit disappointed in him. I know there were lots of angles he had to check, but focusing so much on Cuddy, I think he lost sight of what might have been important. Of course, hindsight isn't always the way to judge anyone."

"What were you saying about Wilson?"

"He's not the only one with holes in his memory, it seems. Others who were at PPTH that day can't remember everything that happened, what they saw."

"So Wilson's memory could be one of the keys to unlock this mystery."

"Yes, but not the only key." Her phone beeped. "That's Anderson, or at least Hannah using his phone. Wonder what they're up to." She answered. "Hi, Hannah. Is there a problem?"

"No, but we're going to pull into the next rest stop for what Chief Anderson is calling a bio-break. Do you know what that is?"

Cameron chuckled. "Yes. We could use one, too. We'll see you there."

"What can we use?" House asked.

"A bio-break. Hannah didn't know what that meant."

"Interesting gaps in her education."

"I'm sure you'll volunteer to fill them in, but please keep it all PG."

"Oh, what's the fun of that?"

She laughed, and saw he was grinning too. "The rest stop is coming up in two miles."

"Hope they have vending machines."

She smiled and shook her head. "You really are the epitome of the man who thinks with his stomach."

"My stomach must be very smart, then."

Cameron rolled her eyes. Having House around would never be totally grim, no matter what happened. She knew he used humor as a weapon or a crutch, depending on the situation, but it often lightened the mood.

They pulled into the exit lane and parked next to Anderson and the Briggs family.

"We're making good time. Should be home by nine or ten tonight," the police chief commented.

Cameron and Hannah started for the women's restroom, but Mrs. Briggs hesitated and Sarah stood next to her, looking up at her face.

"You can leave Jacob with House and me," Anderson said. "He'll be safe."

Mrs. Briggs took Sarah's hand and followed Cameron and Hannah.

"You need the men's room?" House asked the boy.

He nodded.

"We'll go in with you." Anderson kept looking around as they walked up the path to the building. "Can't let anything happen to you." He smiled.

Jacob walked between the two much taller men. When they'd finished, they took him to the vending machines, each enclosed in a cage with just enough of an opening to pay and to retrieve a drink or snack.

"I don't think your mom will be happy if we got you a candy bar, but how about some juice or chocolate milk?" Anderson asked.

"Milk's good."

As they were purchasing their drinks, a guard walked over. "What're you doing with this kid?"

Anderson pulled out his credentials. "Taking him home. His mom and sisters are over there." He pointed to the two women and two girls sitting on a bench nearby.

"Mind if I go with you? Just to be sure. Can't be too careful, you know."

Jacob looked at the guard and frowned.

"I understand." Anderson headed for the women.

Cameron and Mrs. Briggs smiled as they all approached. "Is there a problem, officer?" Cameron asked.

"Just that I saw these two take the kid into the bathroom and then to the vending machines. Do you know them?"

Cameron grinned. "Of course. Police Chief Anderson is a friend and Dr. House is..." She wasn't sure what to call him.

"I'm her main squeeze."

Cameron snickered. Leave it to House.

"It's all right," Mrs. Briggs said. "I'm the boy's mother and I know these two gentlemen. But thanks anyway."

The guard nodded, tipped a hat he wasn't wearing and walked off.

Mrs. Briggs frowned. "I didn't think someone would question you taking care of Jacob for me."

"Then, why did you hesitate?"

She shrugged. "I guess I'm an overprotective mother."

"Better that than a permissive or negligent one," House said.

"Please call me Naomi. You've been so good to me and my kids. You're good people." She flashed a smile.

"Mama, I told you they were."

"Yes, but now I've seen it with my own eyes."

"Mrs. Briggs, Naomi, did you or the girls want anything else before we take off again?" Cameron asked.

"I got a milk." Jacob held up the container.

"Can I have one, too?" Sarah asked.

Naomi sighed. "Sure." She rummaged in her purse. "How much is it?"

"Two bucks," House said.

"If you need any money," Cameron offered.

"No, I have it in here." She extracted a wallet from the bottom of her purse. It didn't seem to hold many bills, but she found two. "Hannah, did you want some, too?"

"No, I'm good."

Naomi took Sarah to the machines with the rest following. Cameron showed her where to put the two dollars and Anderson lifted Sarah so she could press the right button for her drink.

Finally, they got back in the two cars and drove back onto the Interstate. It would take them several more hours to reach Shelby, and require at least one more meal stop, but Naomi Briggs was beginning to relax with Anderson, Cameron and House. First step in preparing her for what was to come.


	62. Chapter 62

Heading to Hogwarts next week, so the next chapter will be delayed, but here's one to hold you.

The gang is back in Shelby.

 **Chapter 62.**

By the time they arrived at the Briggs home that night it was ten o'clock, and everyone was exhausted. Little Sarah fell asleep in the car so Anderson carried her inside. House and Cameron carried in the family's luggage. A sleepy Jacob barely made it up to his room before he, too, conked out.

Naomi Briggs sighed. "I guess I'll make an exception tonight about them changing into pajamas, washing up and saying prayers." She seemed to have a hard time focusing her dark eyes.

Hannah put a hand on her back. "That can wait until morning, Mom." She turned to Anderson. "Thanks for everything, Chief. You'll let us know when we have to make our statements?"

"Of course. Have a good night."

House and Cameron echoed his words and the three of them left the family in peace.

"Ditto what Hannah said for us." House walked toward the Alfa.

"We'll give you a ride home," Cameron offered. "Thanks for everything you've done for Naomi and her kids."

Anderson's house was on their way. They dropped him off without another word, then drove to Edna's.

"All in all, that didn't go too badly," Cameron said.

"Pfft." House pulled into the driveway, and they retrieved their own bags.

The kitchen was dark. Just as well. Down the stairs to their place they went. House collapsed on the couch and closed his eyes.

Cameron smiled, looking at him. He'd actually done more than she could have hoped to help the Briggses.

She used the bathroom, washed her hands and face, and shooed House off the couch so she could open it, but as soon as she did, he fell on it and was snoring before she even had a chance to get the comforter out. She soon joined him and slept more soundly than she had in a long time.

###

In the morning when House woke, he found he was alone in bed, the comforter tucked around him. Sounds emanating from the bathroom told him Cameron was showering and singing slightly off-key.

He thought back over the last couple of days. He'd surprised himself with how those Briggs kids grew on him, especially Hannah and Jacob. Hopefully, they'd recover from the nightmare that was their home life. With their father jailed, it was at least possible.

"You almost finished in there?" he shouted. Cameron showering never stopped him from entering the bathroom in the past, but somehow he wanted her permission. If she heard him above the running water. Just as he was about to repeat what he'd said, only much louder, the water stopped running.

"I'm done. You can come in now. Of course, you could have joined me in there." She opened the door and padded out, a towel wrapped around her mid-section and another turbaned her hair. "I want to get to the clinic early since I never showed up the last couple of days."

He nodded absentmindedly, more intent on what he had to do. By the time he emerged again, she was dressed in dark slacks and a pale blue blouse.

"Do you have time for a quick breakfast?" He pulled on his jeans and then rummaged for a shirt.

"Well, since Carol hasn't sent out a distress call, I guess so." She checked to be sure she had everything she needed.

Soon they sat across from each other at the diner. House had a full breakfast platter in front of him. "I'm off to the hospital after this. Wonder if Thirteen ever showed."

"I thought she was coming today. Wouldn't one of your minions have called you if she had?"

"I wouldn't count on it. If you talk to Anderson, tell him I'll give my statement when I get back this afternoon."

She nodded, her mouth too full of toast to speak.

"You gonna call Wilson or should I?"

She swallowed. "Call him, but put it on speaker."

He took out his phone and hit his speed dial for his BFF. Wilson answered on the second ring. "What's up?"

House smirked. "That should be 'whassup', all one word."

"Yeah, yeah. You didn't call to correct my speech." Wilson's voice held a sense of annoyance.

"Hostile this morning, aren't you?"

"Not really, but your pal Cullen has been by almost every day asking what I remembered, as if I had a switch and every day it brought forth a new memory. Doesn't work that way, and I told him so."

Cameron frowned. "Don't take your anger at Cullen out on us."

Wilson's tone softened. "Oh, hi Cameron. Good morning."

"She gets a good morning and I get snark?" House grizzled.

Cameron wasn't going to make the mistake of asking him the same thing that Cullen had asked. "Okay, now that we've all gotten that out of the way, we basically called to hear how you're doing."

"Aside from the cops visits, not bad. I am remembering bits, but never on demand." Wilson sighed. "Guess he's up to grasping at straws."

"I understand you're not the only one who can't remember events from that day."

"They may never solve this, and frankly, I no longer care. All I know is I'm living with the results." Wilson paused. "And I'm still leaving Princeton. I got an offer from a hospital complex in Salt Lake City. Should be a nice change."

"What does Jessica think about that?" Cameron asked.

"She's already investigating veterinary clinics in the city. We'll probably take a trip out there at the end of the month to check it out."

"Sounds good. Best wishes."

"You're both more than welcome to visit us if we make the move out there."

"Of course we will," Cameron said, but House shrugged nonchalantly.

Breakfast quickly finished, she stood to leave. "See you later. Let me know what's happening with Rocco, the twins, and Remy."

He nodded.

She leaned over and kissed his scruffy cheek. She walked over to the clinic and noted Carol's car in the parking lot. How much should she tell her about what had happened with Hannah and her family? She decided to keep it to a minimum.

"Allison, you're back!"

"Yes. Sorry to leave you in the lurch like that."

"Nonsense. You wouldn't have gone if it weren't important."

"Hannah's father tried to leave with the family after House and I discovered he was beating them all."

Carol's hand went to her mouth. "Oh, no!"

"With Chief Anderson's help, we rescued them. Briggs is now in jail." She looked around the empty waiting room. "Anything new here?"

"I told everyone who showed us yesterday to come back tomorrow. Didn't know when you'd be back."

"Neither did I, frankly. We should have been back earlier yesterday, but there was a kerfuffle."

"What's a kerfuffle?"

"Actually, it was more of a complication, but it's resolved now." Cameron smiled. "How are you feeling?"

Carol rested a hand on her stomach. "Pretty good. The morning sickness seems to come every other day, but it's not bad."

"Glad to hear it."

The door opened and Anna entered. "Oh, you're back!" She grinned at Cameron. "I was hoping I'd find you here. Are you ready for the meetings this week? You'll have to make a great impression on everyone, not that they don't already have a lot of respect for everything you've done."

Cameron had forgotten completely about the speeches she'd been planning to give. She was especially anxious to talk to the women involved in the Children's Welfare League. "The first one's tomorrow night, isn't it?"

"Yes, dear. And then one on Friday."

"I'll be ready."

"I'd heard you'd gone out of town with Dr. House."

"And Chief Anderson. I told you about Hannah Briggs and her family, didn't I?"

"Why yes." Anna's eyes closed slightly. "I hope nothing serious has happened to those dear children."

"I have to talk to the psychologist the League uses about them. I'm afraid the situation was worse than we thought, but Matthew Briggs is behind bars now and the children and Naomi Briggs are safe."

Anna sighed and shook her head. "As long as they're safe. Well, I must move along. Phyllis and I are going to Baltimore for the day. She wants to find new merchandise for her shop."

As Anna left, patients began to arrive, and Cameron was able to switch gears for a while."

###

House entered his office at Snow Hill Mercy. There was no sign of his team, or rather two-thirds of his team since he didn't expect Rocco Magnani to have made a miraculous recovery.

He didn't bother with checking his phone for messages despite the blinking light, but he did turn on his computer. While he was gone, he'd accumulated fifty messages, but he couldn't be bothered. He deleted them all. If any were important, they'd call or leave another message.

While he waited for his team to appear, he thought more about the last few days. He'd amazed himself with the empathy he felt for Hannah and Jacob. So far Naomi Briggs had earned nothing but disdain from him. Much like his own mother, she took her husband's side too often. True, that was changing but he wasn't ready to applaud her actions until she testified against Matthew.

His thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of someone in his doorway.

"Nice digs," Thirteen said. "How'd you wangle this office and conference room?"

"You know I'm that good."

She chuckled. "Still the same House."

"You thought I'd change?" He looked incredulous.

"I was afraid Cameron would smooth out the sharp angles."

"Never going to happen."

"So, where's your team?"

"One's abed, which is why we need you, and probably another one is holding his hand." House stood, grabbed his cane. "Let's go see." He led the way to the elevator, and they took it to the floor where Magnani was recovering.

Sure enough, Jacobs stood on one side of the bed, and Simpson on the other. Thirteen introduced herself, probably expected House would never do the honors. And if he did, he'd just call her Thirteen and make some crude remarks.

"Dr. Hadley, I'm so glad you're here to help Heather and Bart." Magnani smiled at her causing Jacobs to frown.

"You can call me Remy." She smiled back. "So, do we have a case?"

"We were waiting for you to arrive before we picked one," Simpson said. "And for the boss to return."

Thirteen turned back to House. "You were away again?"

He didn't reply. Instead he said, "Well, I'll leave you to whatever it is you're going to do today to build my reputation." He left, headed for the cafeteria rather than his office. They'd know where to find him if he was needed.

It was too early for lunch, so the room was almost empty. House spotted Lembach in a corner, drinking something from a mug, probably tea. He got a cup of coffee and took it with him to Lembach's table. "Drinking alone? You know that's not a good sign."

She rolled her eyes. "I see you're back."

"Stating the obvious isn't a good sign either. What's up?"

"Dr. Meisner is seriously considering retirement."

House frowned. "He's not that old, is he?"

She shook her head. "Sixty-two, but he has health problems, you know. And now his wife has developed breast cancer. He wants to make the most of his time with her."

"Breast cancer isn't a death sentence."

"He's tired, House. Tired of the politics and jockeying for position here at Snow Hill."

"Believe me, it's nothing compared to other places I worked."

"I'm sure." She sighed. "I don't know whether I can work for someone else, particularly when I think about who would take over for him."

"So you're drowning your sorrows in a cup of oolong sachong."

She looked into her cup, a slight smile on her lips. "Actually it's Earl Grey."

He laughed. "We'll get through this." He even tapped the top of her hand with his. "You and me against the world, eh, Miss Lembach?"

That made her smile full on. "Thanks, House. I needed to talk to someone about this. I'm glad it was you." She looked him square in the face. "So, has your substitute for Rocco Magnani arrived?"

"Thirteen? Yeah, she and the team are getting acquainted."

"And?"

"It'll work temporarily. Remy Hadley is actually a good doctor. Guess it's time we took on another case." He rubbed his hands together. "I suppose there's a pile of files somewhere in my suite of offices."

"I believe Jacobs and Simpson had sorted some in your conference room." She stood. "Well, I suppose it's time to return to my desk. Thank you, Dr. House."

"Anytime, Miss Lembach." He watched her go and then downed the rest of his coffee, not even tasting it. He wondered how a change in hospital leadership would affect his position. Although in the short time he'd been there, he'd shown what an asset he could be, he knew there were still some who either resented or were jealous of him.


	63. Chapter 63

We arrived home late last night – it was exhausting but we had a great time.

 **Chapter 63.**

House sat in his office watching Thirteen chatting and laughing with Simpson and Jacobs as the three sorted through files. Not a bad temporary solution to the incapacitation of Magnani. But he doubted she knew how to make lasagna.

His cell chimed, the sound that usually meant an unknown number, but when he glanced at the screen, the caller ID indicated the Shelby police. "Less than a day away and you're missing me already?"

"Cut the malarkey." But Anderson laughed. "Just needed to know if you'll be in this afternoon to leave your statement."

Any excuse to leave the hospital early was fine with House. "I'll be there around four-thirty."

"Since Briggs stole the truck in Georgia, they've got first crack at him, but we need to build an air-tight case here, too. See you later."

"Yeah, around four-thirty." He knew his own motivation for wanting Briggs to pay for what he did to his kids including his own simmering anger at John House, but that wasn't wrong, was it?

Time to get his team cracking, and to let them know why he'd leave them to it that afternoon. He bounded from his chair and had joined them in the conference room in six strides. "You've had enough time. What've you got?"

Each had a pet case, but he agreed to the one Jacobs chose, a middle-aged woman with advanced signs of aging and frequent bouts of pneumonia. "This should be fun."

"Fun? A laugh riot," Thirteen said.

"Oh, come now. Don't you think we can learn tons about how to fight wrinkling skin and diminishing eyesight?"

"Doctors have studied that for years." Thirteen looked and sounded skeptical. "Often, there's no explanation why some people age faster than others."

House smiled slightly. "And the pneumonia? How does that factor in?"

"Weakening lungs, decreased immune system. All come with age," Simpson said.

"Glad you're playing along." House turned to Jacobs. "What was it about this case that called to you?"

"A year ago, she was healthy and active. The symptoms came on suddenly. I want to know why."

House nodded. "Me too. Okay, you three know the drill. Get current vitals, run tox screens, get a chest x-ray. Tempus fugit and all that." He waved them off, hoping the case was as interesting and difficult as it looked.

His phone rang again, this time Cameron's ringtone. "Anderson call you?" he asked.

She chuckled. "Guess you spoke to him, too. I'll meet you there. What time did you tell him?"

"Four-thirty." He expected she'd get a ride to police headquarters when she was done at the clinic for the day. "I'll wait for you when I'm done."

"Good. Did Remy show?"

"Yup, and she bonded quickly with the others." He didn't know whether to bring up the possible change in the hospital leadership.

"So, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong."

"Don't give me that. There's a nuance in your voice that's only there when something is troubling you."

He hesitated, but not for long. It couldn't hurt to get Cameron's take on the situation. "Lembach told me this morning that Meisner may retire."

"Which will mean a change for you. You've handled change much easier lately. You can do it."

"It isn't just that." He rubbed his face. "Seeing PPTH again, or at least a shell of a hospital, and on top of that, Princeton General. Frankly, I don't want to have to deal with environments like those. Meisner runs the kind of place that's comfortable for me. Who knows who they'll bring in. There are doctors here who'd love to cause me problems, but Meisner and Lembach have provided a good buffer."

"And you're afraid that might not continue under a new administration."

"Not afraid. Exactly. More like..." He couldn't come up with a better word, so he left it hanging.

"We have more pressing matters. If you dwell on the what ifs, you won't be able to do what you have to in the now."

"Getting all philosophical on me?" He chuckled.

"I don't want you to mire yourself in a funk over something that might not happen. The only thing you can do about it now is talk to him. See what Meisner has to say." Her even tone was calming.

He didn't answer, although she was right. He had been jumping the gun.

"I'll see you later at Anderson's office. Until then, talk to Meisner. He's a good man and he might have advice for you."

House realized he hadn't heard rumors about Meisner leaving. Maybe the man and his secretary were better at keeping secrets than he thought. Then again, he'd been away. If it was a recent decision, House couldn't have heard. He made a mental note to train his staff better in ferreting out whatever was happening at the hospital.

Meanwhile, he took Cameron's advice. Next stop, Meisner's office.

###

In between patients, Cameron worried over what she'd say to the two groups she'd be addressing Thursday and Friday. Whatever it was, she should be consistent between them and also with any speeches she gave for her campaign.

Shelby residents had been responsive to what she'd said at the Fourth of July and Labor Day celebrations. She searched for the notes she'd used. They'd make a good start. But with the arrival of a slew of patients, she had to give up after just a few minutes. It would wait until the next day.

She grinned when Pete showed up. His treatment was going well, according to the doctors at Snow Hill. Prognosis was excellent. "How're you feeling?" she asked anyway.

"Good. Better'n the whole last year. Jes' using this as an excuse to see how you and House made out the last coupla days."

"Matthew Briggs is in jail in Georgia and his family's home safe. Can't tell you the details yet, except that it wasn't easy."

Pete nodded. "Anderson went with you, didn't he?"

"Yes." She smiled. "He's committed to helping those kids and their mother."

"Knew he was a good 'un."

She did a cursory examination, but had to agree. Pete was in the best health she'd ever seen him in since she'd arrived in Shelby. "I don't think you'll have to come back to see me again unless you have a new complaint."

"Thanks, Doc." He grinned at her and left.

She had two more patients and when they left, saw that it was time to head over to the sheriff's office. Carol had agreed to take her on her way home.

As he'd promised, House sat waiting for her. "I already gave my statement. Anderson's waiting for you."

"I shouldn't be long." There wasn't that much for her to tell, just about what they saw at the church and then her participation in the chase across several states, including what she saw Briggs do. She hadn't witnessed him stealing the truck.

When she finished, Anderson held out a hand. "Thanks, Dr. Cameron. Maybe someday we'll take a road trip that's less filled with danger."

She smiled and shook his hand. "We should."

House still sat out in the reception area, tapping his cane, but he stood when she walked through the door.

"Now I'm hungry," she said.

"Where to?" He opened the outer door.

"How about Sal's for a change? We haven't been there for a while. He may think we've abandoned him."

The restaurant wasn't far, but the parking lot was crowded.

"Hope we don't have to wait." House squeezed into a spot.

Inside, the aroma of Italian spices made her even hungrier. Sal and a tall, slim woman stood at the entry, but so did a few couples waiting for tables.

"Dr. House, Dr. Cameron, I thought you'd forgotten me," Sal said.

Cameron chuckled. "We were worried you'd think so."

"Speak for yourself," House mumbled, looking around the crowded place.

"It won't be long." Sal waved an arm. "Most of these diners are finishing their meals, so we'll have half a dozen tables ready in ten to fifteen minutes."

"Guess we can wait." But House didn't sound like he was happy about it, especially since he'd counted at least eight other couples waiting.

"House! Allison. Join us." Will Davis called them over to a table where he and Sharon were still looking over the menu. "We just got here ourselves."

They didn't hesitate. As they sat with Will and Sharon, a waiter quickly brought them water and two more menus.

Will looked over the top of his. "I thought you'd be out to see the house earlier this week."

Anderson had warned them to keep what they knew to themselves for now. "Something came up and we had to leave for a couple of days. We'll definitely be out to inspect this weekend." Cameron sipped her water.

"Will has been so excited about all the things he's done at your place. I can't wait to see it myself," Sharon said.

"We'll have a big party when it's done," Cameron said.

"We will?"

"I thought we'd agreed to do that." She looked at him with a frown.

"Well, WE'll have a party." House wiggled his eyebrows and everyone laughed.

Her frown became a smile. "Besides that. We'll want everyone to see our new place."

"I hope you don't mean everyone." House rolled his eyes. "And don't say 'only our friends'. To you everyone's our friend."

She laughed. "We'll talk about the guest list when the time comes. So, Will, when can we move in?"

"Oh, not for another few weeks, but we're getting close. We'll need a few inspections before you can live there, some cleanup from the construction, a few finishing touches."

"Well, don't take too long. Not getting any younger," House said.

Their meal together was filled with small talk, but as they lingered over dessert, Sharon asked Cameron, "Are you ready for your speeches this week?"

"I started to work on them this afternoon, but the time got away from me. I'll finish tomorrow morning. Right now I'm too tired to think."

Sharon nodded. "I'll take that as a cue for us to say goodnight. We've enjoyed sharing this meal with

the two of you."

The two couples paid their bills. They parted company in the parking lot, and House and Cameron headed back to their current place, knowing they wouldn't be living there much longer.

"Last night we were both exhausted when we got home, but I hope you're not too tired tonight." He paused. "The talk about a party made me realize something."

"What did you have in mind?"

"Well, our friends with benefits arrangement hasn't resulted in much in the way of benefits lately." His eyebrows waggled.

"You're right, but I thought you were more the spontaneous type."

"There's spontaneous and then spontaneous."

Cameron studied the side of his face as he looked out through the windshield, and realized though the words seemed to be said in jest, he was dead serious. They'd both neglected that side of their relationship for far too long. Too many other matters had intruded. It was time to do something about it. By the time they'd descended the stairs, she'd come up with an idea. "Take a seat on the couch. I'd tell you to loosen your tie but, as usual, you're not wearing one."

He did as she suggested.

She opened a drawer and took something out, but wouldn't let him see it before entering the bathroom. When she emerged, she wore a lacy red camisole and matching bikini panties. "I bought this for our first night at the house, but thought you'd enjoy a preview."

He eyed her up and down in appreciation, standing and stripping his own clothing off as he swallowed loudly.

"You like?" She pirouetted in the tiny space, and he whistled his approval.

"You know that won't stay on you for long," he muttered.

"I hope not." She grinned at him. "It's not the warmest outfit."

"Come on over and I'll take care of that. Heating you, I mean." He laughed. "On second hand, might as well remove it for you." But before he did, he ran his long fingers over the silky material and touched the exposed skin, almost as silky. Then he slid the spaghetti straps of the camisole off her shoulders and kissed of them as well as her neck.

Her hands framed his face, pulling it close so their lips touched. Together they removed the flimsy fabric from her and he held her to share the warmth of his body. "Better," she whispered.

"Much better. I've missed taking time to do this." Somehow he maneuvered her down to the couch with him, his hands rubbing her all over.

It wasn't only the friction of skin against skin that set her on fire, made her grin, caused her to sigh with pleasure. "You sure know how to turn a girl on."

He used his hands and tongue to continue to excite her, and she returned the favor. It wasn't long before the need to join became overwhelming.

"More, House, more." Her heart pounded and her body soared with his. Higher and higher. "Don't stop." And then they reached the pinnacle, holding the moment of absolute ecstasy before finally relaxing into a sated state of bliss. And still they remained in each others arms, contentment replacing excitement.

"House, I love you," she whispered, but he'd fallen asleep. She smiled. Eventually they'd have to get up and open the couch, but for now they could stay like that a while longer.


	64. Chapter 64

Sorry for the delay. I'm taking a few online courses that are taking lots of my writing time, and I'm revising The Crimson Orb for republication.

 **Chapter 64.**

Over breakfast at the diner, Cameron broached the subject of Meisner's departure.

"I couldn't find him yesterday," House admitted. "Something else is going on. I hope he's not being pushed out. His wife's illness can't be the only reason he'd leave."

"I'm sure you'll get to the bottom of it." Cameron put her hand on his.

"Ya think?"

She laughed. But the conversation was cut short by the arrival of Jacobs, Simpson and Hadley. The three of them were laughing too. The two women squeezed in next to Cameron.

"Remy was just telling us about some of the cases she worked on when she worked for you before, House." Simpson sat and signaled Linda to come fill their coffee cups.

"Don't believe a word she says." House grimaced.

"She was telling us some of the more difficult diagnoses you made," Jacobs said with a smile.

"Oh, well, in that case."

"How're you settling in?" Cameron asked Hadley.

"These two have made me feel right at home." She pointed to Jacobs and Simpson.

"And it doesn't hurt that we still have some of Magnani's food left to feed her," Simpson said.

Hadley nodded. "Leave it to House to hire a doctor who can cook."

"Shouldn't you all be at the hospital, tending to the patient?" House glared at them each in turn.

"She's being taken for tests this morning. We'll be there in time to get the results from yesterday's labs."

Cameron ate the last of her toast and washed it down with coffee. "Well, I have to head over to the clinic."

Jacobs and Hadley let her out as their food arrived.

"Morning, everyone." Cameron's last smile was aimed at House.

"What did you hear about the explosion at PPTH before you left New Jersey?" House asked Hadley.

"The cops say they think they know who caused the explosion, but they're being tight-lipped about who that is. Frankly, I'm glad to be away from all that, and even from Princeton General."

"Why's that?" Jacobs asked.

Hadley's shoulders went up. "The environment isn't what you want when you're trying to focus on helping patients. I guess things are much more laid back here."

"You'll see," House warned.

She nodded. "So far so good."

Cameron had few patients that morning, allowing her to work on her speeches in the exam room. But as she did, she became more and more nervous about speaking to the two groups.

Carol came in to see how she was doing. "Everyone was enthusiastic about what you said at the celebrations last summer. That hasn't changed."

"But they were already in a good mood. I'm afraid the atmosphere will be more serious, and I'll have to say something substantial to the women."

"There are men in those groups, too, you know. Well, maybe not the DAR but the Children's Welfare League." Carol grinned. "Men respond well to you, and women do, too. Allison, you have nothing to be afraid of."

"Tell that to my digestive system." Nerves had always affected her that way.

"Okay, what did you tell everyone before? Your agenda included addition of new programs in the schools and better street lighting, as I remember. Those are things anyone can agree with."

Cameron frowned. "Except for those who worry about what it'll all cost and whether the plans will require increased taxes."

"Appeal to their civic pride. Remind them what a great town this is already and then tell them how it can be even better."

"Wanna come and be my cheerleader?"

Carol laughed. "You don't need me. You've got other friends who'll be there to back you up on everything you say." She looked toward the door to the reception area. "I heard the outer door jingle. Guess we've got company."

Cameron saved what she'd written and turned off her laptop. She was surprised when Carol ushered in Mrs. Briggs and her three children. Jacob and Sarah looked around with wide eyes.

"Have you come for exams?" Cameron asked Naomi.

She shook her head. "They had us examined by a doctor at the hospital in Snow Hill, said we should get shots."

Cameron nodded. "Hannah told me it was against your religion to inoculate your children, but it's a good idea since the injections prevent disease. None of them have received any before?"

"No. Um, neither have I." Naomi appeared apprehensive.

"I shouldn't give you every possible shot at once. It might be best to start with flu shots since influenza season will be starting in another week or so. We can set up a schedule for other inoculations."

"I guess that's okay." But she still sounded unsure.

"Do me first." Hannah rolled up her sleeve and held out her arm.

Cameron thought that would help make her mother and even her brother and sister less anxious. She opened the refrigerator where she kept vaccines and took out one vial, then prepared a needle.

Hannah had seen those before so she wasn't as alarmed at her family. They likely had no health insurance, since they avoided doctors and medicine, but she'd worry about who'd pay after she finished.

Cameron swabed the area and injected Hannah's arm. "You know you may have slight swelling or heat in that area for a day or two."

The teen nodded. "I've heard you tell patients that often enough. Now I'll know what it's really like."

"Naomi, would it be all right for you and the kids to take an aspirin or Tylenol?" Cameron asked. "Only if the injection area becomes very hot." People who'd never had any inoculations might react differently from those who had. It was unpredictable. But Naomi might object to even OTC medicines.

Naomi bit her lip. "I guess so. We've already done so much Matthew wouldn't allow."

A half hour later, Cameron had finished with the family. "Come back in about a month and we'll do another vaccination," she said as she saw they out.

It gave her another idea for her speech and she quickly added a few lines before more patients arrived.

But when they came, they came in droves, mainly older people seeking flu shots. She was glad so many took the threat seriously. The CDC had warned that this would be a particularly bad flu season.

Among them was Phyllis Brewster. As Cameron injected her, she asked, "How are things going at the shop?"

"Oh, quite well. Thank you. With help from Iris and Bridget." She grinned. "It's so wonderful to have them both in my life, and working at the shop with me."

"So, Bridget's staying in town?"

Phyllis nodded. She unrolled her sleeve over the injection bandage. "Well, thanks, Allison. Hope to see you at the meeting this week."

"I'll be there." Cameron wondered how many of the people attending would be ones she knew. She thought about how many Shelby citizens she'd met in the short time she'd lived there. Sure, many were patients or relatives of patients at the clinic, and she and House had treated close to ten percent of the population in June when they were stricken due to the aerial spraying.

But she couldn't dwell on that for long. She had a roomful of patients waiting for her.

After a long lunch, House finally had a chance to talk to Meisner. The hospital administrator had a few piles of paper on his desk, but was staring into space when Lembach ushered House in.

"Will you be able to take care of all of that before you leave us?" House pointed to all the papers.

His brows narrowed. "My secretary opened her mouth?"

"Relax. She only told me."

Meisner looked to the door as if he could see through to Lembach's desk. "How can you be sure?"

"You trust her don't you?"

He grimaced. "I thought I could, but she told you."

"She's worried." House shrugged. "Guess she felt she needed to tell someone who'd care."

Meisner forced a chuckle. "Aw, House. How sweet."

"I didn't say I care, just that she thought I would."

"And you're here today because?"

House smirked. "You got me there. So. Is it true? Are you leaving the hospital?"

"Not leaving. Just stepping down as administrator. I need a position that doesn't require so many hours or have so much responsibility."

"Doctoring might be even more stressful, you know," House warned.

"Oh, I know. But treating disease is very different from dealing with all the personalities here. You've had your run-ins with a few doctors and with Sheila Lancaster."

House nodded. "And I've dealt with others at other hospitals. But being administrator gives you the clout to tell 'em all to go to hell, if they argue with you. Do you really want to give that up and bury your head in a sea of patients?"

"You have a point." Meisner sighed. "I haven't decided yet what I'll do. It's just my wife's diagnosis has thrown me for the proverbial loop. I can't concentrate or make decisions the way I used to."

"Have you had a second opinion? Talked to other oncologists?" House asked.

"We have an appointment with one in Baltimore next week." Meisner stopped to study House. "Your pal, the one who was hurt in the explosion in New Jersey. He's an oncologist, isn't he?"

"Yes. One of the best. He's so good patients thank him even if he gives them bad news."

"Do you think he'd review Nora's results?"

House shrugged. "He's still recovering, but we could send him her file to look at. Better yet, he could come back here and examine her."

Meisner seemed to have developed a new sense of hope. "Can you arrange that?"

"I'll call him and see whether he's up to it or not." House didn't want to commit Wilson, but knew his friend and Jessica wouldn't mind returning to Shelby. "He's planning to check out a job in Salt Lake City next week, but maybe he can make a side trip here. I'll call him."

"Thanks, House."

House didn't really hear. His mind was turning over a few new ideas. He nodded again, absentmindedly and left. He had a couple of calls to make.

Back in his office he made the most important one.

Jessica answered for Wilson. "He'll be right there. He's talking to the people in Salt Lake."

Less than a minute later, Wilson was on the line. "House, must be important."

"Yeah. It is. Could mean the difference between the head of this hospital stepping down or staying put."

"And you care because?" A hint of laughter accompanied the incredulity in Wilson's voice.

"Because he's someone I can work with." House stopped with that.

After a pause, Wilson said, "So what do you need from me?"

House sat back in his chair. "One of the reasons Meisner's stepping down is his wife's cancer diagnosis."

"So you want me to tell him she doesn't have cancer?" Wilson harrumphed.

"No, just give her a truthful second opinion. Come back to Shelby, and examine Nora Meisner here at Snow Hill."

The hesitation was longer this time. "We're leaving for Salt Lake City soon."

"How long will it take to drive back here and examine her? Meisner asked for you especially."

"He did?"

"Yup. Oh, not by name, just 'your friend from New Jersey who was hurt in the explosion'. I only have one friend like that as far as I know."

"You only have one friend."

"Not true."

"I guess Jess wouldn't mind seeing her brother," Wilson said. Jessica's voice in the background agreed. "Okay, we'll drive down tomorrow."

House relaxed. Perhaps Wilson could find something to give Mrs. Meisner a better prognosis. "I'll make arrangements for you to examine her the day after."

"Guess so." Wilson still had some hesitation.

"And for a place for you and Jessica to stay."

"I figured we'd stay at the house with Bart and Jacobs, since I understand Magnani is still in the hospital."

"Thirteen's staying with them. But I guess there's room enough for you two."

Wilson had one more question. "Your new place isn't done yet, is it?"

"Another few weeks, I'd say."

"See you tomorrow then."

"Yeah." House ended the call. He had arrangements to make, starting with another visit to Meisner's office.

By the time Cameron finished for the day, she felt like she'd inoculated the entire town against flu. Many of the residents realized how dangerous it could be. She sent Carol on her way home and walked across the alley to the diner.

Surprised House wasn't already there, she checked her watch. Almost five-thirty. He must have been busy with his case. She slid into the booth, ordered some coffee and a salad, and sat back to wait.


	65. Chapter 65

I apologize in advance for this chapter, but it came to me and wouldn't let me go until I added it to the story.

 **Chapter 65.**

When House hadn't arrived by six-thirty, Cameron panicked.

She called his phone, but it went immediately to voicemail. There was no sign of his team, either, so she phoned Jacobs.

"Dr. Cameron? What's up?"

"Have you seen your boss? He never showed up for dinner at the diner. Are you working on your case?"

"Yes, I'm still at the hospital with Bart and Remy doing more tests on our patient. But I haven't seen House since early this afternoon. I'm surprised he isn't home already," she said.

Cameron could hear Jacobs ask the others if they'd seen him and both a male and female voice say no. Her heart sank. "Could you have him paged?"

"Sure. I'll check his office, too, and call you back within the next fifteen minutes."

Cameron pushed her uneaten salad away. She imagined the worst. As she prepared to leave the diner to drive his route to Snow Hill, she told Linda to tell him what she was doing if he showed up. Then she realized they driven to the diner together that morning, as they'd been doing lately, and she didn't have a car.

Pete appeared at her side. "Couldn't help overhear. What's up?"

She sighed. "House never showed for dinner. I'm going to see if his car broke down or something, but first I'll have to go get our other car from the house."

"Nah. I'll take ya."

She forced a smile. "Thanks, Pete."

Before they got into his old Ford pickup, her phone beeped. It was Jacobs. "Tell me you have news."

"Well, he's not in his office. We paged him, but he didn't answer. Bart went to see whether his car's still in the garage."

All Cameron could imagine was the car lying in a ditch on the side of the road, an injured House inside. "I'm heading down there now with Pete. I'll let you know if I find him." Her voice was as shaky as she was.

"You don't think…?" Jacobs stopped before saying the unthinkable.

"We should be there in twenty minutes or so." She got into the passenger side of Pete's truck and he drove south.

"We'll find him, don't you worry," Pete said.

"I hope you're right."

Meisner was pacing his office when House arrived. The administrator stopped mid-stride and looked at him expectantly.

"I called Wilson. He'll drive down tomorrow and can see your wife the day after."

Meisner shook his head. "I'm not sure it can wait that long. Nora had a fainting spell this afternoon. Of course, that' s not usual with cancer, but it's still troubling."

"Where is she?"

"At home. Her sister is with her. Would you mind coming home with me to check on her? I know you're not an oncologist, but then, neither am I." He looked distraught.

"Let's go." House didn't need much urging. He followed Meisner to the administrator's car.

They sped to Meisner's home in one of the older parts of Snow Hill. The large home sat on a small lot. Meisner pulled into the driveway and he and House got out. They walked slowly up the three wide stairs to a large veranda-style porch, each holding on to the banister on the right side.

House had been there once or twice before when Meisner and his wife invited him and Cameron to dinner. Cameron. He should call her. But the thought left the forefront of his mind as quickly as it came because a woman frantically opened the door and told Meisner, "It happened again."

They entered the home and then, single file, trooped up the stairs. Nora Meisner was sprawled on the carpeted floor of the master bedroom.

"I tried to break her fall so she didn't hit her head." The woman wrung her hands.

Between the three of them, they managed to lift Nora onto the bed. House immediately took her pulse.

"Paula, this is Dr. House. He heads one of the departments at the hospital," Meisner said. "House, this is Nora's sister."

House was too busy to do more than nod. He took out his penlight and checked Nora's pupils, then turned to Meisner. "Do you have a stethoscope?"

He nodded and opened a closet, taking out an old-fashioned doctor's bag. "I have all my old instruments here. The ones at the hospital are a much newer set."

Using the still functional tools, House examined Nora further. "I don't think this is related to her cancer. But let's have her admitted so we can do more tests." His team always worked on one case at a time. Still, this was a special patient. He'd do the testing himself.

"I'll call the ambulance now." Meisner removed his landline phone from its base and dialed 911. He told the dispatcher who he was and requested an ambulance to his address.

House's gaze was on him, but his mind was elsewhere as he tried to remember what the symptoms reminded him of.

Meisner's voice broke through his thoughts. "I'll go with Nora. Mind driving my car back to the hospital?"

"Don't mind at all," House said.

Nora's sister remained in the doorway, brows drawn together. "Will she be all right?"

House let Meisner field that question.

"We'll do everything we can for her. Did you want to drive to the hospital with House?"

Paula looked at House with her mouth in a line. Finally she said, "I'll wait here. But call me when you know something."

The ambulance arrived and the paramedics did a quick exam, then carried Nora out to their vehicle. She was coming to and looked around with a confused expression. Meisner followed the gurney.

House drove to the hospital behind them.

Cameron kept her eyes focused on the other side of the road as Pete's pickup sped toward the hospital. She didn't see any sign of House. That was probably a good thing, she told herself.

They pulled into the visitors' lot. Afternoon visiting hours were long over, and evening hours hadn't yet begun. They knew where House's office was so they didn't even stop at the receptionist's desk but a guard stopped them before they reached the bank of elevators.

"We're here to see Dr. House," Cameron said. "He's expecting us."

"I'll have to call up to confirm." He pulled out a phone and made a call, then he turned back to them. "No one's there."

"Try the conference room."

The man nodded and tried again. This time he spoke to someone. Cameron was disappointed when he told her he'd spoken to Dr. Jacobs. At least she cleared them to come up.

Cameron burst into the conference room. "Still no sign of him?"

Jacobs shook her head. "But we've been busy with our patient, so we didn't have time to search."

"Where could he be?"

"Did you try the cafeteria?" Simpson asked.

"We just got here," Cameron replied. "Could he be in the Garden?"

"He was headed to Dr. Meisner's office last time I saw him." Jacobs looked at her watch. "But that was hours ago. I didn't realize how late it is."

"At least that gives us a few places to look. Thanks." Cameron pointed to the papers on the table. "I'll let you get back to work."

Hadley straightened the pile in front of her. "We were just wrapping up so we could go home."

"We'll help you," Jacobs said. "Um, I'll try the Garden."

"I'll check the cafeteria." Simpson stood.

Cameron smiled at them. "Someone should stay here in case he returns for his things. His bag is still in his office."

"I'll wait." Hadley continued to neaten the table.

"Okay. Pete, come with me to Meisner's office."

Pete had remained near the door to the conference room, listening to the doctors talk. He looked around as Cameron led him to the administrator's office. The outer office was empty.

Cameron tapped on Meisner's half-closed door, but that too was empty.

As they were about to leave, Meisner rushed in. "What are you doing here?"

Cameron was taken aback. He'd never been that abrupt with her before. "I'm looking for House."

"He's not here."

"That's obvious."

"He's with my wife," Meisner said.

"Huh?" What the hell did he mean by that?

"Examining her." Meisner hesitated. "You may be able to help. Just let me grab something." He entered his office and came back out again carrying a medical file. As they walked to the elevators, Pete trailing behind, Meisner said more calmly, "You know about my wife's diagnosis?"

Cameron wondered whether she should reveal what House told her. "Yes. House mentioned something. Cancer, isn't it?"

Meisner nodded. "But today she had some kind of fainting spell. House thinks it's unrelated. I don't mind telling you it's all been too much for me."

"I can understand that. You want to know what's wrong with her and how you can help."

Meisner nodded, but said no more as they got off the elevator and walked to a room halfway down the hall.

House was taking a blood sample when they walked in. He didn't look up until he was done. "Take this down to the lab, and tell them to rush the CBC on it." Then he realized who else was in the room. "Cameron."

"House." She took the vial. "I'll be back."

He watched her go, a calculating look in his eyes. "What's she doing here?"

"Looking for you, I surmise," Meisner said. "I'm assuming she didn't know you were with me."

House's face went through several expressions, reflecting his thoughts. He'd meant to let her know but hadn't, but she should have known he was busy with something important. He shrugged and went back to examining Nora Meisner. "Does she have any allergies? Any history of fainting or light-headedness?"

"No. And her blood pressure has always been good." Meisner shook his head. "None of her medications would cause fainting. I can't understand what might have caused this."

"Nora, what did you have for dinner?"

She shook her head. "I haven't eaten." She looked at her husband then back to House. "I was waiting for Sandford to come home."

That set off more twinges of guilt in House's mind. Cameron had likely waited for him, and when he didn't show, raced to the hospital. It finally registered there was someone else in the room standing against a wall near the door. Someone who shouldn't be there. "Pete. Where'd you come from?"

"Shelby." Pete grinned. "Gave Doc Cameron a ride down here."

That answered how she'd gotten there. He was beginning to realize he had lots of 'splaining to do.

She reentered the room. "They'll have the results within an hour. Any idea why she fainted?"

"Not yet. Or rather, I have a couple of ideas, but no proof for any of them. Definitely no connection to the cancer, though." He was surprised Cameron wasn't complaining, but then that wasn't her style. "Long as you're here, go over her meds with Dr. Meisner. I want to order a few tests." He walked past Cameron and out to the nurses desk to order scans of her head and chest.

Meisner introduced Cameron to his wife and the Meisners discussed Nora's medications with Cameron.

When House returned, Cameron handed him the list she'd written down. He surveyed it and shook his head.

Cameron nodded. "Nothing she takes or even the conditions they treat could have caused her to pass out."

"My tests will give us more info." He handed the list back to her. "Meanwhile, we should monitor her vitals."

"Of course." Cameron turned to Pete. "You don't have to wait for me. On the way out, stop in House's office and let his team know what he's been up to. I'll go home with House."

Pete nodded, saluted House and Meisner and left.

"Can I bring either of you anything?" she asked. "Nora, what about you?"

Nora shook her head.

Meisner rubbed his face. "Coffee, Dr. Cameron. Black, two sugars. I don't think I could eat anything."

House didn't bother to answer, but she knew what to bring him.

"I'll be right back," she said, grabbing her purse as she left the room.

"What do you think is causing Nora's episodes of syncope?" Meisner stood near his wife's bed and stroked her hair.

"I've already ruled out her meds. The ECG showed no problems with her heart. Her vitals are good. She's getting enough oxygen in her blood. And she's not dehydrated." House automatically listed everything he concluded it wasn't. "What's causing them is elusive."

"House, you have to have some ideas." Meisner's voice became louder and contained a frantic tone.

But he didn't want to commit to anything, especially anything that would make his boss even more upset. Things like a brain tumor. "Let's see what the tests show."

Cameron returned with his food and coffee for all of them.

House took a long gulp then started on his burger and fries. He suddenly stopped with a fry halfway to his mouth. "Let's get her to radiology stat."


	66. Chapter 66

I was able to republish my original novel The Crimson Orb ebook, but I'm having problems with the print. Meanwhile, I have a new chapter of this story for you.

 **Chapter 66.**

Cameron had no idea why House was suddenly so eager to run a scan on Nora Meisner. From her husband's face, she realized he was as much in the dark. "House, what kind of scan do you want to do?" They were in the elevator with Nora on a gurney heading down to radiology. "And what does this have to do with her fainting? You've checked her heart, right? Her carotid?"

"Yes, of course. And now we're going to check something else." He smirked.

His epiphany had come to him when he was eating a burger and fries. What would that have to do with anything? Cameron shook her head, hoping she'd get her answers soon. He was on to something.

At this hour, few technicians were left in radiology, but both she and House knew how to operate the machines. Which was he intending to use?

The three of them wheeled Nora to the intake desk and House explained to the young man behind the desk what he planned to do, a CT of her head.

Her head? Now Cameron had a vague idea what he was thinking. "What on earth are you up to?" she asked in a whisper.

"You'll see." He went ahead as Cameron and Meisner followed with the gurney.

They worked together to shift Nora onto the bed of the machine. Cameron positioned her so they could get a scan.

"You don't think there's a bleed or something, do you?" Cameron asked, as she got out of House's way.

The hospital administrator's face showed a mixture of worry and confusion, but House's was impassive.

"What else are you checking for?" She wrinkled her nose.

House started the machine. "Let's just see what this shows. If I'm right..." He left unsaid the rest of what he was going to say.

Her hands went to her hips. "And if you're wrong?"

"We'll have ruled out something else."

She let her arms fall to her sides. "You're not making sense."

"There aren't that many causes of syncope. Her blood pressure is fine now, although it's possible it suddenly dropped earlier. She's not dehydrated."

"Are you looking for causes of blood pressure drops?" Cameron guessed as the machine thumped. The process took more than forty-five minutes.

"Maybe." He moved the gurney closer to the table. "Let's get her back to her room while the technician processes these images."

Nora whimpered as they shifted her back onto the gurney, and House took off with it, racing through the halls, zigzagging when the corridor did, all the way to the elevator. At first, Meisner tried to keep up, but Cameron reached out for his arm.

"Let him go. It's the only fun he's probably had today." She chuckled. "It's not because he doesn't consider your wife's problems serious."

Meisner slowed down and nodded. "In my younger days I looked for ways to lighten my mood when I'd spent a day with patients."

House called to them from the elevator, "Are you two coming?"

Cameron's pace didn't change. She and Meisner reached the elevator and joined House and Nora as the doors opened. The car was empty. They returned to Nora's room.

"House, you didn't really answer Dr. Cameron's question. Do you think my wife has a bleed in her brain?" Meisner wasn't in administrator mode, but rather that of a concerned family member.

"If I find out what's wrong with her, will you promise to stay on as my boss?" House countered.

"Don't push it, House. I don't make deals about something like my wife's health."

House smirked. "Thought it was worth a try." He sighed. "Okay. Your wife may have a bleed, or even a tumor."

Meisner gasped and blinked.

"Not saying that's what it is. More likely it's something else that's affecting the blood flow to her brain. But I'm still ruling out causes."

"Why did a hamburger and fries trigger the need for a brain scan?" Cameron asked. It had bothered her since he raced off before finishing his food.

He glanced at the cold remains of his meal and shook his head. "It wasn't the food itself. I'd been trying to decide what to do next when I started eating, and that helped me relax and the thought came like that." He snapped his fingers.

"Can I have some water?" Nora rasped.

Immediately Meisner was at her side with a glass. He raised the upper part of the bed and held the glass to her lips.

House waited until she drank half the water. "Nora, just before you fainted, did anything hurt? How long did you feel light-headed?"

"I don't remember any pain. I hadn't paid any attention, really, but I'd felt slightly dizzy from mid-afternoon on." She motioned for more water.

"What did you have for lunch?" he asked.

"You asked me that earlier. Half a turkey sandwich with a little lettuce and a bowl of chicken noodle soup. Is that important?"

"Mainly I wanted to know if you remembered. And you did." He popped a cold French fry into his mouth.

Cameron sputtered, trying to hold in her laughter. "House, this isn't your usual patient or patient's husband. You can skip the games."

House looked at Meisner. His boss's face still showed his anxiety. "Guess you're right." He tossed the remainder of his burger and fries in the trash. "Nora, sit up for me and dangle your legs."

"Okay." She sat up straighter with help from Meisner and swiveled to drop her legs over the side of the bed. "Like this?"

"Yes." House took her b.p. and the pulse in her wrist and neck. "Now, stand."

Her feet slipped to the floor and she pushed herself into a standing position.

He repeated his exam with narrowed eyes. "Lie back on the bed." Once she had, he checked her vitals once more and shook his head. "No change in blood pressure."

"That's good, isn't it?" she asked.

"Probably."

"What does that mean?" Meisner demanded. "House, shouldn't her initial standing b.p. be lower than her supine reading?"

"Yes, and a large drop would indicate postural hypotension, which can cause fainting, but that's not happening here. The differences I measured are within a margin of error and are insignificant."

Cameron narrowed her eyes. "I'm surprised that wasn't the first thing you checked."

"Me too," House said. "Guess we'll have to wait for your test results, Nora."

"How do you feel now?" Cameron asked.

"I'm feeling just fine." Nora smiled. "I don't even know what all the fuss is about. So I fainted. It's not life threatening, is it?"

"Depends on what caused you to lose consciousness."

"Nora, in all the excitement, I forgot to tell you that Dr. House's friend is coming to Snow Hill to give you a second opinion on what can be done for your cancer."

Her brow furrowed. "Don't we already have an appointment with the oncologist in Baltimore?"

"Well, yes. But I understand Dr. Wilson is one of the best in the country."

Cameron narrowed her eyes at House. "Wait, Wilson's coming back? When were you going to tell me?"

"As Dr. Meisner said, in all the excitement, I didn't have a chance." It wasn't the only thing he hadn't done, he knew. "He and Jessica are driving to Shelby tomorrow."

She swallowed her annoyance. "It'll be good to see them again. I wonder whether Simpson knows his sister is coming back."

House shrugged. He felt no guilt about not telling him. "I'm sure she called."

She walked to the window and looked out, shoulders hunched.

"How much longer until we get my results?" Nora seemed stronger with each passing minute.

"If we haven't received them in fifteen minutes, I'll call down," Meisner said.

She shook her head. "You'd think that for the head of the hospital, they'd hurry up."

Cameron turned back to her. "Nora, can I bring you anything?"

"Dr. Cameron, I don't want to bother you."

"It's no bother. What would you like? You haven't eaten in hours, and neither has your husband."

"What about me?" House whined.

"You just ate a fry."

"It was cold. See if they have any pie left in the cafeteria. I'd love me some pie just about now."

Cameron rolled her eyes.

"Whatever they have," Meisner said. "I doubt it's much at this hour, but I suppose they have something for evening visitors."

Nora nodded. "I wouldn't mind some kind of pudding or fruit."

"Something sweet?" House asked.

"Her blood sugar must be way down." Meisner took his wife's hand.

"But she hasn't felt faint because of it." House's eyes took on a faraway look.

"I'll see what they have and bring back a variety of food." Cameron grabbed her purse and left.

The cafeteria wasn't as empty as the last time she'd been there. Evening shift staff and other folks, most likely visitors, stood in line. Cameron joined them as they made their way to displays of a full array of hot and cold food. Whatever she brought back that Meisner and Nora didn't eat wouldn't be wasted as long as House was around. When it was her turn, she purchased a variety of food and desserts, along with more coffee, securing lids on each of the cups. It promised to be a long night.

She carried the loaded tray up in the elevator, careful not to spill anything. Once she reached the room, she set it down on the tray table and collapsed in the only chair in the room.

"We shouldn't have sent you alone for all of this." Meisner waved a hand to indicate the food.

"I didn't expect there'd be so much available. The place was half full with staff and visitors, and the cafeteria was prepared to feed them all."

Meisner chuckled. "Yes, I should have realized. We make sure our cafeteria is available day and night." He walked to the table, moved it so his wife could reach, and took a cup of coffee. "Nora, they had your favorite rice pudding."

She reached out and uncovered it, took a spoon and began eating.

"I hope there's real food, too." House limped over and smiled as he took a sandwich. But before he could eat it, a lab tech entered with results.

The young man wasn't sure whether to give the sheet to Meisner or House. The latter grabbed for it with his free hand. He studied the data quickly and shook his head. "No help here." He handed the sheet to Meisner, who spent a longer time reading.

"What does it say?" Nora asked.

"You blood chemistry's within normal limits," her husband answered.

"That's good, isn't it?"

The three doctors exchanged glances.

"Yes, Mrs. Meisner, it's good that your results are good," Cameron finally replied. "But it also means we're no closer to finding out what caused you to faint."

"These weren't the only tests, however." Meisner smiled at Nora. "Let's wait and see what the rest of them show." He turned to the young man. "Make sure you or one of the others brings me the scans as soon as they've been read."

"Of course." He left.

House went back to his sandwich. The others selected what they wanted and silence filled the room while they ate.

A nurse came in with a tray for the patient, but turned around and left when she saw there was more than enough food in the room.

Meisner finished his bagel. His gaze rested on House. "When we first brought Nora in, you seemed to have an idea of what it could be."

"The tests so far proved me wrong." House gulped some coffee. "Frankly, I'm clutching at straws. Until we uncover more clues, I'm stumped." He stared at the patient. "But I'm not giving up. After all, I've only been working on this for five or six hours."

Cameron had been through situations like this with him before. "House, Nora's fine for now. Maybe we should go home, get some sleep. By morning you'll have more results and a clearer head."

Meisner nodded. "Dr. Cameron's right. I'll stay with Nora and call you if there's any change in her condition."

"You need your sleep, too, dear." Nora smiled at her husband.

"Can't let this food go to waste." House took the last half sandwich. "When I'm finished eating we'll go."

"Dr. Cameron, I understand you and Dr. House are having your own place built," Nora said.

Cameron smiled. "Yes, off the road between Shelby and the bay. We're told it'll be finished in the next month or so."

"Cameron's planning a party," House said around a mouthful of food.

Cameron laughed. "Yes, and I hope you two will be able to come."

"Oh, that would be lovely." Nora grinned.

House crumpled the paper the sandwiches had been wrapped in. "Well, time to go."

But before they could walk out, Nora's eyelids fluttered closed and she fell back against her pillows.


	67. Chapter 67

I'm still working on the republication of the print version of my original novel The Crimson Orb. Still, I was able to prepare this new chapter for you.

 **Chapter 67.**

"Nora!" Meisner hovered over His wife.

House took her hand and checked her pulse, glancing at the monitors. There'd been no warning at all before she fainted again.

Cameron searched the top drawer in the cabinet on the side of the room for smelling salts or something else to help wake her up again. There was no reason she should have fainted. They were having a pleasant conversation while House and Cameron prepared to leave for the night, and then, wham!, she was out cold.

"Vitals are still normal. This doesn't make sense," House said.

"Even her blood pressure?" Cameron asked. She hadn't found anything appropriate in the drawer.

House nodded. "Wish I had the brain scan. There has to be something that's restricting blood flow to the brain periodically."

"She'll wake up on her own, won't she?" Meisner asked.

"She should." House lifted Nora's right eyelid and shone his penlight. He shook his head and scowled. "Guess we're not leaving just yet."

Cameron frowned, but not because their departure was delayed. "Something's not right."

"You can say that." House examined Nora's other eye. With help from Cameron, he turned the patient on her side.

Meisner came closer. "What do you see?"

"It's what I don't see. Her eyes should respond to the light, but they didn't." He closed the light and put it away. "Where the hell are those scans?" He stormed to the door and out.

Cameron didn't know what to say to the hospital administrator. All she could probably do at this point was to let him know how much she cared. "You know House will get to the bottom of this. Meanwhile, why don't you talk to her? She may be able to hear you. You need to reassure her you're doing all you can to help her."

He nodded and moved even closer to the bed. Putting a hand on his wife's shoulder, he said, "Nora, I have Dr. House working on your case. He's the best, you know, even with the knottiest cases. We'll find out what's wrong with you and..." He ran out of words.

Cameron took over. "Nora, your husband's right. House is off right now chasing down the rest of your results so he can resolve this. Meanwhile, we'll be here with you. It's time to wake up. You can help by telling us what you felt just before you fainted." She wasn't sure it was syncope. If Nora lost consciousness for another reason…

House returned, waving the results of the scan. He didn't look happy.

"Well?" Cameron asked.

"It's bad, isn't it?" Meisner said.

"Still out?" House focused on the patient.

"She didn't faint, did she?" Cameron's frown deepened.

"No. There's a growth on her brain." He rubbed his eyes. "No, that can't be it."

"The cancer's spread." Meisner closed his eyes. "I was afraid of that."

"We don't know whether it's cancerous. It could be benign. And it may not be the reason she lost consciousness. In fact, it probably is unrelated. But so many unrelated..."

Meisner opened his eyes and stared at House. "You won't be sure it's not cancerous unless you operate."

"I'm no brain surgeon."

"Foreman." Cameron grimaced. "Before you know it the entire team will be here."

House shrugged. "Mercy has it's own brain surgeons."

Her eyebrows shot up. "But do you trust them?"

"Good point. Still, neither of us is anxious to work with Foreman again."

"I assume he was a member of your team when Dr. Cameron worked for you," Meisner said.

"He's one of the best neurosurgeons I've ever worked with, but he and I have clashed on more than one occasion."

Cameron laughed. "He thought he was just like you, but that wasn't why. He wasn't enough like you."

House looked at the scan again and sighed. "Gotta bite the bullet." He took out his phone, found a number and punched it.

"You have him on speed-dial?" Cameron asked.

"Never know when you might need someone to hijack a car for you."

Meisner looked puzzled.

But House was talking in a low voice. He walked away as far as possible in the small room. A frown spread across his face, and his voice rose. "See here, Foreman. This isn't a frivolous request. Get down here as soon as possible. I don't know how much time we have."

The last changed Meisner's expression to pure fright. Cameron had to tell him House was likely exaggerating to get the neurosurgeon to move.

House ended the call and turned to tell them, "He'll drive down tomorrow, too. I would have suggested he come with Wilson, but I'm not sure my BFF would appreciate it."

Cameron shook her head. "Wilson would quickly become your former BFF."

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of. Still, it'll be good to have them both here for Nora." House examined her again. "She's breathing on her own and her airway's clear. Cameron, let's set up some supplemental oxygen."

Cameron helped him turn Nora on her back again then inserted the cannula in Nora's nostrils and turned on the oxygen flow.

Nora stirred and then groaned but her eyes remained closed.

"Give her a few minutes, but even if she comes around, we should keep her on oxygen."

"Even though the O-sat reading is 92?" Meisner asked.

"Can't hurt. And it might keep her from having another loss of consciousness. We don't know yet how the growth is related to her fainting. It's not a common symptom of a brain tumor, but if she fell because of loss of sensation in her legs, or vision or hearing problems due to the growth, she may have also caused some other damage that's not showing up on the scan."

"Like you, I'm not an oncologist or a neurologist, and it's been a long time since I studied medicine." Meisner nodded. "I'm glad you know as much as you do."

"Hey, don't depend only on me. In the morning, call in the head of neurology and have him look at the scans."

"Of course. I still want you to know how much I appreciate what you've done tonight," Meisner said. He turned to Cameron with a smile. "You too, of course."

"I wish there was more I could do."

Nora moaned again. Her eyes fluttered.

"Nora, where does it hurt?" Her husband stroked her forehead.

"Have you been having headaches?" House asked. "How about tingling in your feet or legs?"

But she didn't seem to hear either of them. Her body shuddered and then she was still. And even then her vitals were normal, strong even.

"This is weird," House said.

"Good weird or bad weird?" Meisner sounded ready to explode. He took a deep breath, shook his head and sat down. His head dropped to his hands.

House looked at Cameron as if she could help him decide what else to do for his boss.

No one spoke until Nora shifted again. Meisner stood and was at her side in an instant. "Nora."

"Sandford." The voice was weak but clear. "Sandford, what happened?"

"You fainted again. But this time you were out for over twenty minutes." He took her hand.

Cameron pointed to her watch. "Closer to thirty."

"Is that bad?"

"We don't know, but what we do know is based on your scan." Cameron looked at Meisner for approval to tell Nora. At his nod, she went on. "There's a growth on your brain. From the shape, it's likely benign, but it should be removed. Your husband will have the hospital's top neurosurgeon examine your scans, and we'll get a second opinion from a brain surgeon we've worked with before."

"So you don't think it's cancer? That my cancer has spread?"

"It seems unrelated. But we doubt it was the cause of the fainting spells you've had and certainly doesn't explain why the last one continued for so long." Cameron didn't know what else to say to comfort the woman.

"Nora, as Dr. Cameron said, we have a plan going forward to deal with the growth, but we still have to determine why you've been fainting." He kissed the hand he held.

Cameron made a decision, hoping House agreed. "We'll wait until the rest of your test results arrive, and then we'll go home, but we'll be back in the morning to hear what the neurosurgeon has to say."

"Thanks." Nora smiled wanly.

House was silent. The food was gone and so was the coffee. He didn't seem to know what to do with his hands and his mouth went through a series of expressions.

Cameron couldn't tell what he was thinking, but she knew well enough to refrain from asking.

The Meisner's conversed in low voices. Both looked worried, no, scared.

The last of Nora's results, including her urinalysis, finally arrived. The numbers confirmed that everything was at normal levels.

"About what we expected," House said. "Guess we can go." He was out the door before Cameron could gather her purse.

She caught up with him at the elevator. "You've been acting weird tonight. Even weirder than normal."

He looked at her with a blank expression.

"Afraid I'll bite your head off for not calling to tell me that you'd stayed at the hospital?" She thought she still might so that, especially if he didn't open up to her about what was on his mind.

The elevator arrived and he got on without replying.

She walked beside him to the car and got in. "Talk to me."

"What do you want me to say?"

"Are you afraid Nora's health will be the deciding factor to ensure Meisner leaves Snow Hill?"

A barely perceptible shake of his head.

"Then what is it?" She gritted her teeth then groaned. "Sometimes I wonder why I bother. When I found you, should I have screamed at you for not telling me where you were?"

Nothing.

"I should tell you to sleep on the couch tonight, but then, where would I sleep?" She forced a laugh.

He spared her a glance, then returned his gaze to the road ahead.

"What are you afraid of? Because clearly there's something. Don't you know I'll help anyway I can? Whatever it is?"

"Oh, really?" His tone was sarcastic.

"Try me." She was finished guessing. But if he'd tell her, she'd do what she could.

He remained silent another ten minutes, but when they reached the outskirts of Shelby, he said, "What if this one time I can't solve the case? Or that I don't until it's too late?"

She nodded. "The stakes are high, even higher than usual. But you've never doubted your ability like this before."

He was silent again until they reached the driveway. They both got out of the car and walked to the backdoor of Edna's home. House put a hand on Cameron's arm to stop her from going in. "The less said to Edna, the better."

Her eyebrows drew together at first but then she nodded. "I hope we can talk about this in private, though."

It was early enough that Edna sat in the kitchen, drinking her last cup of tea for the day. "You two are later than usual."

"Dr. Meisner's wife is ill and I stayed at the hospital to examine her. Cameron joined me."

Edna looked from one of them to the other. "Oh, I've never met the woman, but I hope she'll be alright."

Cameron sighed. "We all do."

"You both must be tired, so I won't keep you." Edna smiled. "Unless you'd like a cuppa?"

"No, I think what we both need is a shower and some sleep," Cameron said. "We'll see you in the morning." She led the way down the stairs.

Once they'd entered their room, House said, "You were right about the shower. I don't suppose you want to join me?"

She shook her head. "You do some of your best thinking in the shower. I don't think I should distract you."

His eyes narrowed. "You're not still angry that I didn't call?" He still didn't seem apologetic.

"House, I should probably know by now that when you're deeply involved in solving a case, you don't think about anyone or anything else. I shouldn't have panicked, but I was tired and hungry. My old insecurities and fears tend to rise to the surface under those conditions." But she couldn't let him get off that easy. "Still, in future, let someone know if you can't meet me."

"I'll try."

"That's all I ask. Now, go." She plopped down on the couch to wait her turn in the shower.


	68. Chapter 68

My hubby's helping me with the cover for the republication of the print version of my original novel The Crimson Orb. Meanwhile, I'm working on this story and a few others.

 **Chapter 68.**

While Cameron waited for House to come out of the bathroom, she thought through the roller coaster her emotions rode that evening. She had to admit to herself it was more than her insecurities that triggered her fears when House hadn't arrived for dinner. In fact, her worries about what might have happened to him easily overshadowed her own issues.

And then, the fact that he dismissed her concern made her feel she'd wasted that energy. He still didn't get how upset she was when she found him, so any retaliation on her part would be even more wasted. Would he ever understand? What if the situation had been reversed? Would he have worried about her? Of course, that would never have happened. She would have found the time to call him. Maybe that was the difference between them. Or one of them.

"Still sitting here?" House walked into the room, dripping water on the floor.

"Where else would I be?" She sighed and stood. "My turn." Let him decide what that meant.

She undressed in the bathroom, then let the hot water ease the muscles in her neck and back. One thing they never lacked here was enough hot water. Absentmindedly she scrubbed herself as she continued to decide her course of action with House. None of the possible ways of getting back at him would work. They wouldn't make him see what he'd done was wrong. Instead anything she did might make things worse. Not that he'd notice. That was just it. At the moment, the only thing that mattered to him was diagnosing Nora Meisner.

She could accept that and move on, dismissing his actions or lack thereof yet again. She turned off the water and dried herself off, pulling on the sleep shirt that hung from the hook behind the door.

So she was completely flummoxed when she came out to find him looking at her with sheepish guilt.

"Cameron, I'm sorry. I should have called you any number of times during the evening. I'm not used to having to answer to anyone...no, that came out wrong. And it's not an excuse. Were you really worried about me?" He sounded so surprised that anyone would.

He'd opened the couch himself for once and they stretched out together. She took his hands and nodded. "Very worried, I kept imagining the worst. I should have known it was something like this. And you were right to help Dr. Meisner. I can take care of myself, but Nora was in trouble, still is."

"Don't remind me." He groaned.

"Get some sleep. Maybe something will come to you in your sleep. It's happened before. You'll think more clearly in the morning."

He pulled her close, kissed the top of her head and her lips, and snuggled against her. "Wake me if you think of anything."

"I will. Something's been just below my consciousness all evening, but I can't even begin to think what it is."

She listened to him breathe in and out until that soft sound became a snore, then let herself fall asleep too.

When she woke he was staring at her with a frown. "What's wrong?" she asked.

He hesitated, then admitted, "Still stumped."

She nodded. "I still can't bring to mind what's lurking deep in my noggin." She tapped her head.

"Yeah, need a trigger, both of us." He let out a sigh. "Breakfast. Then I can go see what other tests I can have run."

"Maybe something at the clinic can be my trigger."

They dressed quickly and drove to the diner where he downed his first cup of coffee as soon as Linda poured it and he'd added cream and sugar. She filled his mug again then went to call in their orders.

"When do you expect Foreman?" Cameron asked.

"He said he could drive down sometime today. Meisner's arranging for the hospital's neurosurgeon to review Nora's scan meanwhile, but I'd be happier if Foreman were here to give a second opinion."

"And Wilson and Jessica are coming today too?"

He nodded. "That's what he told me."

"Where are they staying?"

He shrugged. "At the team's house I guess. There's room for two more."

Linda brought their food, and he dug in just as the team arrived.

"Morning," Jacobs said.

"Morning," Cameron echoed. "We were wondering if Wilson and Jess would be staying with you while they're here."

"Yes. My sister called last night. It'll be good to see her again."

"Who's the patient that needs an oncologist?" Hadley asked.

House looked at Cameron then answered, "Doctor-patient confidentiality prevents me from responding."

Hadley rolled her eyes. "Oh, c'mon House. We're your team. If you need our help, we'll have to know what the case is."

"I'll need permission from the patient's family to bring you in. Besides, don't you already have a patient?"

"House, they might be able to help," Cameron said.

He grimaced. "When - no, IF I get permission, I'll disclose all."

"And that's where you were last night when Cameron was frantically looking for you?" Hadley guessed.

"Yes." He went back to eating so he couldn't answer any more questions.

"Speaking of your patient, how's the diagnosis coming along?" Cameron thought that would be a safe topic.

"Well, we can't give you any specifics." Jacobs looked pointedly at House. "What I can say is we're stumped. We could use our boss' input, but I guess he's too busy."

Cameron wondered whether House would tell Hadley that Foreman was coming. Not that he usually warned anyone about anything, but she'd had a relationship with the man. Then again, mentioning him would tell the team that House wanted a neurological consult as well as the cancer consult from Wilson. It wasn't her place to say anything, so she kept quiet.

"House, whatever you're working on, we can help. You just have to tell us, trust us." Hadley smirked. "And, in return, we need to pick your brain."

"What's the snag with the patient?" he asked, rather than commit to anything.

"Uh-uh." Hadley shook her head. "Not telling."

Linda arrived with breakfast plates for the team.

Simpson picked up a fork but before he took any food he said, "All we know so far about your patient is that she, or he but it seems you told Wilson it was a woman, and that woman has cancer."

"May have cancer," House allowed. "And what makes you think you can help with a cancer victim? Especially when I have the hospital oncology staff plus Wilson?"

"My guess is it's more than that. I know what you're like when you have a case that's baffling you." Hadley's eyes narrowed. "Who else are you calling in?"

"Maybe if you spent as much energy on your patient as you are on mine, you wouldn't be so stumped."

"Our patient's test results are contradictory," Simpson blurted.

"Contradictory how?" Cameron was curious now. The case couldn't be as complicated as Nora's seemed to be.

"We know she's had frequent bouts of pneumonia, like twice a year for the last two or three, and premature aging which caused weakening eyes, hair loss and thinning skin. But her white blood cell counts are normal, her lung capacity isn't as compromised as expected, and her heart is as strong as most people her age."

"Sounds like there's no real problem, or at least no medical one," Cameron said. "Is she complaining about anything?"

"Only the fact that the pneumonia keeps her indoors and she'd rather be outside, enjoying nature."

"Are they sure it's pneumonia and not some severe allergy?" Cameron asked.

"An allergy wouldn't explain the loss of hair and the wrinkles."

House was suddenly alert. "It might. Smithers is the allergy specialist at Snow Hill. Talk to him."

Jacobs tilted her head but said, "Yeah. We consulted him on another patient. But in this case, it's progressively getting worse even though she's in the hospital."

"Talk to him anyway." House waved a hand in a dismissive way.

Hadley tossed her fork down. "You're still not telling us what you're working on, what had you so absorbed yesterday you didn't tell anyone where you were." She twisted her neck to glance toward Cameron.

Cameron chuckled. "See, even Remy figured that out."

House's eyes focused on his empty plate. "What would cause a patient to lose consciousness?"

"Not enough oxygen getting to the brain," Simpson replied immediately.

"I think he wants something less obvious," Jacobs said.

Hadley nodded. "Sure. House already explored the usual suspects. Some kind of pressure on the brain, maybe?"

A hint of a smile appeared on his face. "What else?"

Jacobs' eyes narrowed. "Your patient fainted or lost consciousness and you don't know why?"

"You didn't call Foreman, did you?" Hadley groaned.

"Isn't he a neurosurgeon?" Simpson asked. "Supposed to be an arrogant SOB."

"Yeah. And at one time I thought I was in love with him," Hadley admitted. "So, did you?" she asked House.

"There's a growth on her brain," was House's reply.

"Well, we knew she had cancer." Simpson shrugged.

"Stomach cancer. Probably unrelated." House rubbed his ear. "Like your patient, multiple symptoms possibly, no, probably unrelated."

Simpson whistled.

"Foreman's coming to Snow Hill and you didn't tell me?" Hadley frowned.

"Well, patients aren't going to diagnose themselves." House was ready to go.

Simpson pointed to his own plate. "Haven't finished eating." But he stood to let his boss out of the booth.

"If any of you, and that includes you, Cameron, happen to think of anything, call me." House wasn't smiling when he left.

Hadley watched his back. "There has to be a reason he's so concerned about this particular patient."

Cameron nodded. "There is." But she didn't feel free to tell them who the patient was. Still, knowing the way the grapevine in hospitals worked and rumors spread, they were bound to find out before lunchtime. She glanced at her watch. "I have to go, too. See you later today, hopefully after you've solved your case."

Hadley and Jacobs let her out. She thought about their case and about Nora Meisner as she walked to the clinic, but once she was inside, her mind was occupied by an influx of more patients seeking the flu vaccine and a few who requested the one against pneumonia. Once or twice she wondered whether either of the patients at Snow Hill had received shots, especially the teams' patient. The pneumonia vaccine should have prevented her recurring bouts.

She took a break at noon for a quick lunch. Cameron no longer liked to eat alone, but Carol had an appointment with her Ob/Gyn. She finished her sandwich and returned to the clinic to fill out a request for additional vials of vaccines. The paperwork was finished by 1 PM when the first of the afternoon patients arrived.

House arrived at Nora's room on the heels of the hospital's top neurosurgeon, Granger. He waited near the door while Granger read through the report on Nora's scan, then looked at the actual pictures.

Meisner stood by his wife's bed as he had the previous night, waiting for the middle-aged neurosurgeon to give his opinion.

Granger finally put the file down. "From the shape and position, I doubt very much that this growth is cancerous, but it must be removed to prevent pressure on her brain."

"Could it have cause her to lose consciousness?" Meisner asked.

Granger shook his head. "The pressure from it isn't in a place to cause her to faint. It wouldn't restrict the flow of oxygenated blood to her brain."

House spoke up. "Do you see anything else on the scan that could?"

Granger's eyes narrowed as he studied House. "You're that diagnostician Homes, right?"

"House. My names all over the file you just read." House suddenly thought, this guy makes Foreman look humble.

"Right, House." Granger turned away, dismissing him.

"Dr. House asked a question, and I'd like to hear the answer too," Meisner said. "The technician who read the scan didn't note anything else, but with your experience, perhaps you see something he didn't."

"No," he said in a you're-being-tiresome voice. "Nothing."

"Nothing that would cause her to lose consciousness?" Meisner sounded annoyed.

Granger seemed to realize who he was talking to. "Dr. Meisner, I can help your wife with the growth on her brain, but don't expect me to miraculously cure her of a female tendency to faint."

"Thank you for reviewing the scans and her file." Meisner pursed his lips. "We'll be getting a second opinion, of course." He smiled.

Granger glared then turned and left the room.

"I hope your neurosurgeon will be more cooperative."

House shrugged. "Granger told you what he saw, or didn't see, on the scans. The fact that he's too full of himself is neither here nor there. Maybe it's a universal trait of neurosurgeons."

"Well, if your man is any better, I might offer him position here."

House rolled his eyes. "Please don't."


	69. Chapter 69

Had some good news at the end of last week. My novella, A Bite of the Apple, won first place in the YA category of the New Mexico Presswomen's fiction contest, and will be entered in the national contest. But I bet you're more interested in a new chapter of this story.

 **Chapter 69.**

While they waited for the arrival of Wilson and Foreman, House ran another few tests, but the results confirmed what they already knew. There was no obvious cause for Nora's fainting episodes. She did seem more alert, so House took the opportunity to ask her a few questions, in part prompted by what Cameron was doing.

"Did you have a flu vaccine recently? Or the pneumonia one?"

"No. I get the flu shot every year but hadn't yet this season." She turned to her husband. "Is that pertinent?"

He shrugged. "Almost everything might be. For instance, what you ate yesterday or whether you went for a jog or played tennis."

Nora shook her head. "I already told you what I ate, and no, I didn't go for a jog or play tennis. In fact, I spent much of the day sitting in the backyard with my sister, enjoying the bright autumn day."

House cogitated for a full minute. "Did you use sunscreen?"

"What? Yes, of course. The SPF 30 I always use."

"Same brand?"

Now it was Nora's turn to think. "They were out of my usual brand. I used the store's own."

"There's nothing in sunscreen that would make a person lose consciousness," Meisner objected.

"No, not usually. I'm grasping at straws here, Meisner, and hoping that one will pull lose something that will help us get to the bottom of these episodes." House thought some more. "Insect repellent?"

Nora shook her head.

House's eyes narrowed. "Have you ever had an allergic reaction say to bee venom?"

"I...I don't think so." Nora leaned back against her pillow. "I don't remember ever being stung."

House moved closer and examined the skin of her neck, back and upper chest, but there were no signs of a bite or sting. He continued down her arms, then searched her legs. "Well there's nothing here. Too bad. Thought I was on to something. Some insect stings cause dizziness and fainting if you're sensitive. What else did you do yesterday?"

"Nothing, really. It was a quiet, relaxing day."

The door opened and her sister walked in. "Nora, I've been so worried. Sandy called me last night to say they were keeping you here for observation and he'd stay with you."

"I'm doing well." Nora smiled. "Nothing for you to worry about."

House tried to come up with the sister's name, if he ever heard it.

"Paula, your sister's right," Meisner said. "We're still trying to decide why she fainted yesterday."

Now House knew her name, but since it wasn't important he'd probably forget before long. "Nora says the two of you relaxed out in the back yard yesterday."

During a break that afternoon, Cameron put the finishing touches on her speeches. The first wouldn't be until the next night but her slight headache confirmed she was already nervous. No matter how many times she'd heard that everyone in the town was on her side. She didn't want to disappoint them.

She couldn't practice her speech with House – he was too busy. Perhaps she'd have time before they finished for the day to read it to Carol. She needed someone to tell her how she came across and whether she made the points she wanted to.

The afternoon was much like the morning, though. It was that time of year. Folks knew the importance of the flu shot and that it was worth the moments of discomfort, especially if they hadn't gotten one the previous year and suffered from the longer term effects of the actual ailment. A steady stream of patients kept Cameron busy, and Carol, too.

Finally when Cameron went out to the waiting room at four forty-five, she found it empty, except for her indefatigable assistant. "Carol, before you go, do you have a few minutes to listen to my speech? I want to make sure it's perfect."

"Sure." Carol smiled at her. "Let's hear what you have."

Cameron retrieved the latest print-out and began to read.

"Stop." Carol held up a hand. "You sound like you're reading someone else's thoughts. It's not that the ideas are bad, just the delivery. Speak to me like you usually do, boss to employee or friend to friend."

Cameron chuckled. "I did feel kind of stiff."

"So, loosen up. Roll your shoulders or whatever you do to relax."

She nodded then did a couple of stretches before beginning again.

That time, Carol waited to the end before she said anything. "SO much better. It sounded like you really meant every word, that it came from within."

"I think I know what you mean. So you think I should be relaxed when I speak. They won't think I'm being too informal?"

"No. They'll think you're genuine. That's the impression you want to make."

"Okay. Will do." Impulsively, she hugged Carol, which was harder than it used to be now that she'd grown a basketball in front. "Thanks. You're the greatest."

Carol grinned. "Glad you think so. Sometimes I feel like the world's greatest klutz these days."

Cameron stood back and looked at her. "Let me know if the work becomes too much for you. Hannah will probably be in this week and I'll have her give you a hand with the filing."

"Thanks. Have you thought about when you'd want to hire someone for me to train to take my place?"

"Actually, I have." The idea had been percolating in the back of her mind. "What would you say to Hannah's mother? She probably needs a job and she's smarter than she knows."

"That's a great idea. She seems like a nice woman."

"She's very timid and has to learn to assert herself, make her own decisions." The more Cameron thought about it, the more she was convinced this would work. "I'll talk to her and perhaps mention it to Hannah the next time she's here."

Carol stood. "Well, if there's nothing else for me to do, I'll head home. See you tomorrow."

"Yes, see you then." Cameron watched her go.

Once Nora's sister had gone, House examined her again. She'd had a good day, no fainting spells, not even a headache. Could the episodes the previous day have been nothing more than a passing and inconsequential occurrence? But it had happened more than once. Something caused it.

He picked up her file and read through her medical history for the fourth time. But the information didn't trigger anything hiding in his brain.

The tests he'd run hadn't provided any new information, except to confirm that the woman was in remarkably good health, despite her possible stomach cancer and her probably benign brain tumor. That gave him a new line of thought. Why didn't she have a headache? Why was there no pain in her abdomen?

He took her hand and squeezed her fingers.

"What are you doing?" Meisner roused from the corner of the room where he huddled.

House ignored him. "Nora, how does that feel?"

She crinkled her nose. "Okay, I guess. My fingers are fine."

"Squeeze mine," House said.

He felt her fingers move, but her grip was weak. "I should have asked when she was here, but does Paula have any health issues?"

"Not that I know of," Nora replied.

"Hmmm. So, probably not a hereditary form of neuropathy, but something that also affects the blood vessels." He shook his head. "I'll have to do some research on this. There are so many forms of neuropathy that would cause you to feel no pain." He might as well have been talking to himself. "Many start at an early age and are genetic, but I don't think that's the case here. Others are caused by environmental factors. Maybe..." He turned and left the room, deep in thought.

When he reached his office, he took a couple of books off his shelves. He'd just found something that might help when Wilson knocked at the door, breaking his concentration. Without looking up he said, "Go away. I'm busy."

"House, it's me." Wilson wasn't going to enter the office uninvited, despite the fact House had done that more times than he could count. "Just point me toward the patient and I'll let you get back to whatever has you so engrossed."

That finally got House's attention. "Wilson. You were coming here today."

"That's right."

"But you weren't going to check my patient until tomorrow."

"Cameron said the patient had multiple problems. Thought I should look at her today."

"And it's been a long time since you treated anyone." House nodded and smirked. He slammed the book shut and stood in one fluid motion, then walked past Wilson, confident his friend would follow him.

They entered Nora's room. "Meisner, this is James Wilson, boy wonder oncologist, although not so much a boy any more." House turned to his friend. "Patient is the one in the bed. Nora Meisner."

"Here's her file." Meisner handed it to Wilson. "In addition to the abdominal cancer, Dr. House recently did a brain scan because she had several fainting episodes yesterday. The scan revealed a tumor on her brain as well. The head of our Neurology Department recommended immediate surgery, although he doesn't think the growth is cancerous or that it caused her to faint."

Wilson nodded. "Are the scans and the report still in the file?"

"Yes. House requested another opinion."

"Let me guess. Foreman." Wilson rolled his eyes. "Well, he did assist during my surgery."

"He'll be here, or at least in Shelby, later today. What'd you do with your better half?"

"She ran into her brother when we arrived and went off with him, Jacobs and Hadley." Wilson's eyes narrowed. "Does Thirteen know Foreman's coming?"

House nodded. "She knows."

Wilson frowned. "Your team isn't helping you?"

"They have their own patient." House pointed to the file in Wilson's hands. "What do you think?"

"Give me at least another thirty seconds." Wilson opened the file and started reading. He sighed when he was finished. "The tumor in her stomach is likely cancerous, but shouldn't be difficult to remove. It hasn't spread. Still, she'll need chemotherapy to prevent recurrence. Now the shape and position of the one in her head indicate it's benign. I'll let Foreman make that call."

Nora gasped. "Chemotherapy. I've heard that can be debilitating."

"Everyone reacts differently." Wilson smiled at her. "Some lose hair, but it grows back as soon as the therapy is complete. Some people feel weak. And you'd have to avoid crowds, since your immune system will be compromised for a while."

"How long will the chemo take?"

"That too depends on the patient. But usually I recommend five or six sessions, three to four weeks apart."

"And would I have to stay in the hospital?"

"Oh, no. All of my patients who've had this kind of cancer and treatment do better in their own home."

Meisner had listened carefully to what Wilson said. "Your treatment is similar to what we usually advise here at Snow Hill. Would you be able to perform the surgery and monitor Nora's response to the chemo?"

"Since your doctors follow the same protocol, I don't see why you'd need me." Wilson glanced at House. "I don't know whether House told you, but I will likely be moving west and won't be available."

"But if you were working here..." Meisner's eyebrows rose.

Wilson must have seen the frown on House's face. He seemed surprised, but this wasn't the time to ask why House didn't want him in Snow Hill or Shelby. "Let me think about it. Meanwhile, as I said, I'm prepared to perform the initial operation, if you want. I mean, I thought I was here only for a consult, a second opinion."

"I'd be happy to have you perform my surgery. My cancer surgery, that is." Nora bit her lip.

"Sure." He took her hand. "I'll do it."

House wasn't surprised by Wilson's reaction. His friend couldn't resist the request.

"Thank you, Dr. Wilson." Nora beamed at him.

"Yes, thank you." Meisner nodded.

House shook his head. Wilson hadn't lost his touch. He still got thanked for bad news.


	70. Chapter 70

The story continues. Here's a new chapter.

 **Chapter 70.**

"Still working on what caused Nora's fainting spells?" Wilson asked as he and House made their way to House's office.

House grimaced. "Both Cameron and I can't recall but there's something buried deep in our minds that would explain the incidents." He sat behind his mahogany desk.

Wilson took the chair across from him. "What does your team say?"

"Haven't shared the problem with them. I want them to concentrate on their patient."

"And you want to figure this out on your own. You told Cameron."

House shook his head. "She guessed what was bugging me. Should have been angry with me because I made her wait for me for dinner." He shook his head. "I didn't call and she expected the worst. Still learning this relationship thing."

"No one ever learns that. But understanding the other person and their expectations helps." Wilson smiled. "Cameron's a good person, and she knows you well enough to accept some of the things you do without thinking about other people."

House ignored that. "So, it's all good between you and Jessica?"

"Better than my marriages, and that's saying something."

"When do you go west, young man?"

"My interview in Salt Lake City is a week from today." Wilson leaned back in his chair. "It's a big complex, including a cancer hospital."

House picked up his ball, one of his mementos from his time in New Jersey. "So you'll be one of many oncologists."

Wilson shrugged. "Yeah, but that's okay at this point in my life. I've done the department head thing. I'd prefer just working with patients and not worrying so much about the politics and the extra responsibilities. Hospital boards, fundraising, decisions about trivial things."

"Hey, if that's what you want, good luck."

"Jessica's looking into the veterinary practices near the hospital." He smiled. "She's hoping to get a job, misses working with animals."

House smirked. "You're really going to do this."

"Yes, it's time."

House's mouth worked through expressions as his mind worked through what it would be like to have Wilson that far away.

"We hope you and Cameron will come for visits."

House considered that. "We're having a housewarming when we move into our new place. You'll come back for it, won't you?"

"Do you want me to? You didn't seem happy about the possibility that I'd take Meisner up on his offer."

House waved that away. "We're both better off if there's some distance between us. Although, three thousand miles might be a bit much."

Wilson snickered. "We'll come for your housewarming if we can. Meanwhile, Nora. Poor woman. Having to deal with so much at once."

"If we tackle her problems one at a time."

"Giving you time to figure out why she fainted."

A faint smile appeared on House's face. "That's not as life-threatening as the cancer or the brain tumor."

"If you say so." Wilson watched House toss the ball in the air and then catch it. He stood suddenly. "House, I remember what I was doing just before the bomb went off."

"I wasn't there so you couldn't have been watching me."

"No, no. I was at my window watching one man toss something to another." Wilson's eyes widened. "One of them was Lucas Douglas."

House sat up straighter in his chair. "And the other one?"

Wilson frowned and his eyes took on a faraway look. "I can picture his face, but I don't know his name."

"Call Cullen. Maybe Chief Anderson has a sketch artist. I'll check."

Both of them made phone calls. When they'd finished, Wilson said, "Cullen will coordinate with Anderson. What did he say?"

"To meet him at his office at five this afternoon. He'll have someone there to work with you."

"That's good, because I'm afraid I might lose this memory."

"We know what triggered it, so we can do that again. Do you know what they were tossing?"

"It may have been the bomb." Wilson looked down. "I was too far away."

"So. Back to Nora. She had an appointment for an evaluation in Baltimore."

"At Johns Hopkins?"

House shrugged. "I guess. Anyway, I get the feeling Meisner might forego that if you're willing to operate immediately."

"Immediately, as in today?"

"Or tomorrow." House put the ball down. "Whatever."

"I probably could do it tomorrow." His eyes opened wide. "But I don't have privileges here. I need those to be able to perform surgery, to practice in this hospital."

"Meisner will arrange that. Don't worry."

Wilson pursed his lips and ran a hand through his hair. "Let's go back and talk to him."

House hesitated. "You could go alone. You know the way."

"I'd be happier if you came with me."

"Getting cold feet? You won't lose her on the table."

"That's not what I'm worried about. House, Jessica and I were all set to move out west."

"So? This won't prevent you from going."

"You like working for this guy?" Wilson sighed. "He seems to be someone I can work for."

House rolled his eyes. "He's not acting as the head of this hospital right now, only as the patient's spouse." It was true, though. House liked working for the man. But if Wilson became too comfortable with him, he might take Meisner up on his offer. That was something House had decided wasn't going to happen. "You're here for a couple of days. Salt Lake City is calling."

Wilson nodded slowly.

The two of them returned to Nora's room.

Wilson approached the administrator. "Dr. Meisner, you'll have to arrange for me to be allowed to operate here before I can perform surgery on your wife."

Meisner smiled. "So you'll do it?"

"Yes. Were you still planning on taking Nora for a consult in Baltimore?"

"No. I cancelled that. She has too many things going on. I can't risk taking her anywhere."

"If you'll make the arrangements, I'm prepared to operate tomorrow. Then, once she's recovered sufficiently, your neurosurgeon can do his thing."

Meisner nodded. "I'll go immediately to get the paperwork started. Nora, I won't be long." He kissed his wife's cheek and left.

Nora turned her head toward Wilson. "How long will my recovery take?"

"I won't try to sugar-coat this. We won't know until we go in how extensive the surgery will be. You'll probably need chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy afterwards. Recovery times vary greatly. Your neurosurgeon will decide when you're strong enough to remove the growth on your brain."

"Oh!" She looked more frightened than she had before.

"We'll do everything we can to make you more comfortable, and to prolong your life."

"Dr. Granger wanted to operate immediately," Meisner said.

"He's the neurosurgeon?"

Meisner nodded.

"The stomach cancer is more life-threatening," Wilson said. "Let's see what Foreman says, but I think he'll agree with me about what to tackle first. Nora, are you feeling any pain in your stomach or head?"

"Dr. House already asked me that." She frowned. "Not really. Should I?"

"There's obviously some kind of neuropathy," House said. "Little sensation in her fingers and hands, and a weak grip. But definitely not due to the brain tumor."

Wilson half closed his eyes.

"What? You think of something?"

"Nothing in her history?"

"You saw her file."

"Yeah. Still this is very strange." Wilson sighed. "I'll be back tomorrow. We'll hear what Foreman has to say and work out a plan from there."

"Thank you again, Dr. Wilson." Nora smiled at him. "I feel better knowing that you're involved in treating me."

House pointed to his watch. "We should go. Cameron will hang me if I'm not there by six."

"What time is it now?" Wilson tapped his watch. "Wow, it's already five-fifteen. We'd better round up Jess and head back to Shelby. I'm glad to have met you both, although I would have preferred better circumstances."

"We'll see you tomorrow."

As they walked out into the hall, Wilson said, "I'm surprised Jessica didn't come looking for us."

"She may not know where we were."

"You're team doesn't know who you're treating or where?"

"Yup. And I'd like to keep it that way. They have their own patient to deal with."

They went back to House's office. Jess sat in one of the visitor's chairs.

"How was your visit with Bart and the team?" Wilson asked her.

She replied, "Okay, but they didn't know how to find you, so I decided to wait here. Will you be able to help House's patient?"

"Yes. I agreed to operate on her once we know whether that takes precedence over her other treatments, and once I have privileges here."

"But right now we have to hit the road." House grabbed his bag and led the way out of his office. "My car's in the employee garage. I'll meet you at the diner. You know where Anderson's office is, don't you?"

"Yeah. And maybe later you'll tell me why you really don't want me to take the job Meisner offered."

Jessica looked questioningly between the two men.

House shook his head. "I didn't say I didn't want you to work here."

"You didn't have to," Wilson said. "If I were a spiteful man, I might do it. But as I told you, we've already decided to go to Salt Lake City."

"If they offer you a position," Jess put in. "Did you get an offer here?"

House shot Wilson a warning frown, hoping he wouldn't tell Jess who the patient was. She would be bound to tell her brother. House wasn't sure why he wanted to keep his current team away from Nora's case, especially since he had no qualms about involving Wilson and Foreman.

"I met the hospital administrator. He knows my reputation and that I'm helping House with his case." Wilson shrugged. "He mentioned there might be a position at the hospital."

Jessica grinned. "Then I'd be in the same town as Bart again."

Wilson rubbed his face.

House told them again, "See you at the diner." He limped off.

House arrived at the diner before Wilson and Jessica, but Cameron wasn't alone in the booth. "That's my seat," he told Foreman.

Foreman slid out and let him into the booth. "Wilson said the food here's good."

"It is. He and Jessica are on the way. Have to make a stop. Don't know about the team."

Foreman sat down again. "We never talked about where I should stay."

"The team's house is full up and ours isn't finished yet." House pointed out the door. "The motel is good and relatively cheap."

"Mo, the owner and cook here, is married to the owner and manager of the motel," Cameron said. "There's also a hotel in town, a bit pricier and not much nicer. I can go with you after we eat and see what rooms Zach has left."

Wilson and Jessica came through the door, followed by the team. Hadley frowned when she saw Foreman. Linda brought over a couple of chairs without asking.

Cameron did the introductions. "You know Wilson and I think you met Jessica in New Jersey. Bart is Jessica's brother and a member of House's team. Heather is another member. The third is in the hospital. And you know Remy."

The latter sat as far from Foreman as she could. He glanced at her and then ignored her. "Will I be able to see the patient I'm here for first thing in the morning? Because I have to get back to Princeton after my consult."

House exchanged a grimace with Wilson. But if Nora had to wait a while after her cancer surgery before anyone could operate on her brain, it hardly mattered if Foreman left so soon. And it would eliminate some of the conflicts that might occur with him in town. Still, House enjoyed a little conflict as long as he wasn't involved. "Yeah. That's all arranged."

Foreman sighed. "Good." Although he didn't look happy. He looked around. "So what's good here?"

Cameron, Jacobs and Simpson called out their favorites. Jessica added. "Really, you can't go wrong with anything Mo cooks."

Chrissy came over. "Hi Docs."

They replied. "Hi Chrissy."

"The special tonight is Mom's chicken enchiladas."

Simpson nodded. "I'll have that."

They all opted for that, and she left to put in the orders.

Foreman watched her. "That wasn't what anyone recommended."

"The special is always special," Jacobs said with a grin.

"So, how's our patient?" House asked.

"So now she's 'our' patient? Thought you had your own." Hadley smirked.

"There's a new wrinkle to the case."

"Thought she already had enough wrinkles."

Simpson sneered. "This one doesn't have to do with premature aging. She's developed pains in her elbows."

"That could be related to the aging problem. Arthritis."

Jacobs shook her head. "It's not in the joints. The muscles and tendons leading from the elbows in both directions are sore."

House sat back. "You're sure it's not referred pain from the joint?"

"No. And one more thing. We were talking to her about it and she promptly fainted."

House's eyes went wide.


	71. Chapter 71

If anyone's interested, the ebook of my novella A Bite of the Apple is on sale this week for $0.99.

Meanwhile, this story continues. Here's a new chapter.

 **Chapter 71.**

Their dinners came, and for a while everyone was too busy eating to talk.

House chewed slowly, as his mind reviewed what he knew about both patients. The only thing they had in common, besides the fainting spells, was that they were both women. Should he reveal more about his patient to the team so they could compare notes? Should he look for the same symptoms in Nora that they found in their patient? "How long was she out?"

"Huh?"

"When the patient fainted, how long was she out?" House leaned even closer toward Jacobs.

"Oh, about five minutes?" she replied.

"It was seven," Hadley said. "I timed it."

House shifted his gaze to Hadley. "Was that the only time that's happened?"

"As long as I've been helping the team."

"Yes, the only time," Simpson added. "And when she came to, she was dazed for a minute. But while she was out, her vitals were normal."

House sat back. That was the only similarity between the cases. Or maybe not. "Have you done any scans?"

"No. There was no need." Simpson rubbed the back of his head. "Or was there?"

"Scan her head and her stomach today." House didn't bother to explain.

But Hadley wasn't ready to take the order without asking, "Why?"

"Just do it." He went back to eating and wouldn't reply.

The members of the team looked questioningly at Wilson, Foreman and even Cameron, but none of them said anything.

"Her head. Does this have something to do with your patient? Why Foreman's here?" Jacobs demanded.

"He'll tell you after you get your results," Wilson warned. "Just do what he said."

Hadley shook her head while the others frowned.

The next morning they met again for breakfast. Everyone ate but no one said anything more about the two patients.

The team left for the hospital first. Wilson and Foreman drove to the hospital with House, but Jessica decided to spend the day visiting with the people she knew in Shelby.

When everyone was gone, Cameron walked the few hundred yards to the clinic. She was thinking about the two patients and whether there was a connection between them, but also about the talk she was scheduled to give that evening.

The waiting room was empty. Even Carol was absent. Where could she be? She always arrived early. She'd gone to the Ob/Gyn earlier in the week, so that wasn't it. And she wasn't close to term. There were a few more weeks before she was due.

Cameron hoped everything was all right. She'd already picked up the phone to call, when Carol rushed in.

"Sorry I'm late. Car wouldn't start. Seth fixed it for now, but says we should get it looked at so the same thing doesn't happen again when I have to go to the hospital."

Cameron smiled. "You didn't miss anything. It looks like a quiet day."

"Is Hannah coming after school?" Carol took off her cardigan and sat behind her desk.

Cameron leaned against the doorway to her examination room. "I think so. I'll have to tell her to send her mother in tomorrow."

Carol tapped a pile on the right side of her desk. "Guess I'll leave the filing for both of them. Was there anything else you want me to do?"

"Not really." Cameron tilted her head. "Tell me, do you know anyone who has fainting spells?"

"Huh?"

"Both House's patient and the team's have fainted at odd times. But those episodes don't seem to be related to whatever else is wrong with them."

Carol's eyes narrowed. "I thought people fainted when their blood pressure is too low."

Cameron nodded. "Also when there's not enough oxygen getting to their brains."

"Were they dizzy before they lose consciousness?"

"No. Or at least they've said they weren't." Cameron thought about that. "And their vitals were normal before and during the spells."

"Both of them have the same symptom?" Carol asked.

"Yeah, but that's the only thing they have in common, other than that both are female."

Carol's eyes popped open. "Wow! How do you go about diagnosing something like that?"

"House has diagnosed more complicated cases, but he seems to be stumped this time." She shook her head. "I shouldn't be talking about him or his cases."

"Well, if it helps to talk them out, I don't mind being a sounding board."

"Thanks."

A patient entered. It was time to get to work.

House and Wilson brought Foreman to Nora's room. Her husband stood from the chair he'd moved to the window so he could look out. Nora was asleep.

"This is Dr. Eric Foreman," Wilson said. "Foreman, Dr. Meisner, the head of this hospital."

Foreman blinked. "The patient is his wife?"

"Yes."

Meisner handed Foreman the scans. "Our neurosurgeon, Dr. Granger, believes the growth is benign, but he wants to remove it as soon as possible. She also has stomach cancer, though."

Foreman nodded. "I've heard of Granger. Based on these scans, I'd agree with his assessment, although..." He took a step closer to Nora.

"Although what?" House demanded.

"I'd like another scan. There's something else besides the growth. Focusing on the larger mass you can miss it." He pointed to a spot on the image.

House nodded slowly. "But what that something is..."

"That's why I need another picture. Can we schedule it for this morning?"

"Absolutely." Meisner left to make the arrangements.

"What do you think it is?" Wilson asked. He took the file from Foreman and looked at the results from the brain scan. He compared two images. "It's on this one, but not this one. And the radiologist didn't even mention it in the report."

Foreman shrugged. "It could be nothing, a blip in the imaging device."

"Or?" Wilson pressed him.

"Ah, c'mon Foreman. You can guess. No one will ding you if you're wrong."

"Maybe a nodule. But because it only shows up on one of two slices, it's questionable."

"What's a nodule?" Nora asked. "Is that like a tumor?"

Foreman went into a long-winded explanation, which House then summarized, "It's a tumor."

Foreman rolled his eyes.

Meisner returned. "She's set for eleven o'clock."

In a shaky voice, Nora said, "Sandy, they say it might be another tumor."

He nodded. "But it must be very small since it didn't show up on all the slices and Granger didn't even mention it."

She didn't look mollified.

"We'll know more after the scan."

"Dr. Foreman, can you return to do the surgery?" Meisner asked. "Dr. Wilson said she'd have to recover somewhat from her abdominal procedure first."

"If I'm available at the time, I'll return. Meanwhile we have to find out what this spot is."

House was happy to notice Meisner hadn't offered Foreman a position at the hospital the way he had Wilson. He might be able to tolerate Wilson's presence, but he was glad he didn't have to spend a long time with the neurologist.

When the time came for the scan, he and Wilson let Foreman and Meisner take Nora back to radiology.

"I didn't have a chance last night to ask about you meeting with the sketch artist. Could he draw the man you saw with Lucas?" House asked.

"She, and yes, she did. We've scanned in the sketch and sent it to Cullen, but I haven't heard anything."

Slowly they made their way back to House's office.

"We've also never talked about why you don't want me to take Meisner's offer." Wilson took the visitor's chair again.

"Thought I already told you. We each need our own space." House looked down. "I'm not thrilled that you'll be all the way in Salt Lake City, though."

"That's not decided yet." After two minutes of silence while House settled in his chair, Wilson said, "House, I've been thinking about the fainting spells Nora and the teams' patient experienced. Could they both have been exposed to the same thing?"

House shook his head. "Nora fainted first at home, and the other woman..."

"...Stephanie..." Wilson supplied.

"Is that her name?" House shrugged as if it didn't matter, which it didn't to him. "She'd been in the hospital for days before suffering hers." He rubbed his face.

Wilson tapped a foot. "How long do we wait to see what Foreman's scans show?"

"As you know, the process takes a while, and it takes even longer before the radiologist analyzes the slices." House stood and grabbed his cane. "Plenty of time for us to get some coffee, maybe even lunch."

Wilson laughed as he and House took the elevators to the ground floor and walked to the cafeteria. "Some things never change."

The team had already taken a table in the half-filled room. "Our patient is sleeping, and we're waiting on a few more tests," Simpson said, as if he had to explain why they were there so early.

"Did she faint again?" Wilson asked.

"Not 'she'," House said. "Stephanie."

Jacobs narrowed her eyes at him. "You know our patient's name?"

"Of course I do." House continued on to the food lines with Wilson trailing behind.

When they returned to the team, full trays in hand, Jacobs said, "No, Stephanie didn't faint again. In fact, she seems better than ever today. Still has wrinkled skin and arthritic joints, pains in odd places, even some age spotting of her skin, but she wanted to go for a walk, so we took her to the Garden for a while. When we returned to her room, she went to sleep."

"Foreman's with your patient?" Hadley asked.

"Yes," Wilson replied. "He already found something that the hospital neurosurgeon missed."

"And you two missed it too?" She seemed surprised, but also smirked.

House brushed it aside. "It may be nothing."

"I'm not Foreman's greatest fan these days, but he is good."

"In a limited way."

Simpson finished his sandwich. "Did you find anything else that connects your patient with ours?"

"Not yet," House said.

"But you think you will?"

"Unexplained fainting is the kind of anomaly that might never be explained." House slurped his soda.

Wilson raised an eyebrow, but refrained from voicing what he thought of that.

While House and Wilson had lunch with the team, Cameron met Jessica at the diner. "How was your morning?"

"Great. I went over to the shop and spent a couple of hours talking to Phyllis and Bridget. I also ran into Anna." She grinned. "She told me you're talking at the DAR meeting tonight. How's the race for city council going?"

"Everyone tells me I'm a shoo in but I still wonder. How much support do I have? And on the other hand, do I want the responsibility?" Cameron shook her head. "Don't ever let anyone talk you into running for any office."

Jessica chuckled.

"Are you excited about moving to Salt Lake City?" Cameron asked.

Jessica shrugged. "It's not a done deal, of course. And I've never been there. It'll be a big change for both Jim and me. I have two interviews set-up for positions with veterinarians, but it'll really depend on whether or not he gets the position there." She pursed her lips. "It's just so far away."

House and Wilson returned to Nora's room to find Foreman and Granger arguing over the scans.

"This spot could be important," Foreman insisted. "And you didn't even notice it."

"It's only on this slice. Could be a fault in the machine." Granger brushed him off.

"We'll see when we get the next set." Foreman stood his ground.

Granger folded his arms across his chest. "You're just looking to show-off. I know what I saw and didn't see on the initial scans." He grimaced at Meisner and stomped off.

"Looks like your head neurologist doesn't like to be questioned," Wilson said.

Meisner shrugged. "He may be right, but I'm still willing to give Dr. Foreman a chance to prove his findings."

House muttered, barely loud enough for Wilson to hear, "I almost hope Foreman's wrong, but Granger has to be taken down a peg."

"Or two," Wilson whispered back.

"If you're right, what does it mean?" Nora asked. "You mentioned a nodule before."

"It could mean any number of things, but we won't know until we open you up." Foreman touched the side of her head closest to where the spot would be. "Does this hurt?"

She shook her head.

He pressed harder. "How 'bout now?"

"Nothing."

"We kinda established she has diminished nerve response in her head and extremities," House said.

"That wasn't in the report." Foreman opened it again and skimmed through it. "Nothing."

"Ooops." House didn't look apologetic.

Foreman shook his head. "How can I do my job if I don't have all the information?"

"We were too busy running tests and doing research on causes to jot down a note or two."

"What else have you found that's not in her file?" Foreman's voice rose louder and louder.


	72. Chapter 72

I haven't been able to post this over at LJ since they changed ownership. If anyone knows how to sign the new Terms of Service Agreement, please let me know.

Meanwhile, this story continues. Here's a new chapter.

 **Chapter 72.**

But before House or Wilson could think of a way to avoid Foreman's question about what they may have kept from him, Nora's results arrived. Foreman grabbed and looked at the scans. Immediately, his expression changed. Not one to become excited, still he shouted, "I was right." He looked like he wanted to rub the results in Granger's face. He handed them to Meisner.

The administrator nodded. "I see it now, on more than one slice."

"Yes. It was hiding on some before."

"I still don't know what it means." Nora looked confused and frightened.

"It means there's something besides the growth found before." House took the report from Meisner. "Even the radiologist saw it this time."

"Could that be why I fainted?" Nora asked.

"We told you before, it's unlikely." Foreman looked at Meisner, then House. "I want to be present when Dr. Granger removes the mass. This spot is nearby and we should be able to determine what it is during the surgery."

"Curious?" House smirked.

"Nothing wrong with a little curiosity." Foreman smirked back. "Well, I think I've done what I can for now. House, I'll meet you in your office later." He turned to Meisner. "Let me know when your wife is ready for neurosurgery." He left without another word.

"What do you think it is?" Meisner asked.

House let Wilson respond. He had his own ideas, but Wilson was the experienced oncologist. As long as he was there, House would let him do his job.

Wilson scratched an ear. "As Foreman said, we won't know for sure until we can see inside. If I have to guess, I'd say it was a tiny cyst, completely benign, and definitely not the cause of her fainting."

House smiled. That agreed with his own thinking.

"So we don't really have to do anything about it?"

"No. I still think the most pressing issue is the abdominal growth. I can be back from Salt Lake City in less than a week. Let's schedule the surgery for then." He stepped closer to the bed. "Nora, you're a perfect candidate for this type of surgery."

She smiled at him and squeezed his hand.

Wilson turned to House. "I'll go see whether there's some way I can help your team. Meet you back in your office."

House watched him go, a speculative look in his eyes.

When Hannah arrived at the clinic after school, Cameron broached the subject of having her mother substitute for Carol for a while.

"Oh, I think she'd love it! She's had a hard time finding a job."

"Well, I'd pay her a good salary," Cameron said.

"Really? Can I tell her?" Hannah beamed.

"Yes, and ask her to come in tomorrow after you kids are in school so Carol can show her what to do."

"Oh, I definitely will." Her excitement diminished slightly. "But what will happen after Carol comes back?"

"We'll work something out, but after she works here for a few months, she should have a better chance of finding a job. It's likely she's had a hard time because she never worked before."

Hannah nodded. "That's what she says. Everyone wants someone with experience."

"And this will give her that experience."

"I like working with Carol, and I bet she will too. And by the time Carol has her baby, she'll be able to do the job alone." Another thought seemed to come to Hannah. "What about me? I've been helping Carol."

"And you can continue to do that for now. Your mother will have to go home to take care of your brother and sister after school most of the time, so you'll take over for her." Cameron smiled. "Besides, you've worked with Carol and you can work with your mother, too. It's all part of your education at the clinic. I even hope you'll help me in the exam room again."

At first Hannah didn't react. She probably needed time to think that through. But finally her face brightened. "Yes, you're right. I came here initially to learn about taking care of people from you, not just filing and stuff from Carol."

"Don't ever think that what she does or you mother will do is trivial. It's important that our records about our patients are up to date, both the digital and paper files."

Hannah nodded. "My mom is going to be so happy!"

"Right now, I'd like you to help Carol with some of the more physical filing. It's getting harder and harder for her to bend."

"Sure. I like working with her. And I can't wait until she has her baby." Hannah grinned. "I love babies."

"That's still almost a month away. It'll be up to her and her doctor how long she works, and how long she stays home with the baby."

"I remember when Mama had my brother and sister. It was a lot of work."

"Did your father help at all?"

Hannah looked down as she shook her head. "I was the only one. And I was too little to do much."

"I bet your mom did just fine."

"Yeah, she did. I bet Carol will too." Hannah opened the door to leave the exam room. "I'll go help her now." She called to Carol as she entered the waiting room. "Did you hear? My mother will be substituting for you when you have the baby."

House returned to his empty office. He hooked his cane on the coat rack and limped to his desk. A pile of books sat on one side. He'd consulted them in his attempt to find what Nora's case reminded him of. They hadn't helped. Nothing was helping. Where could he turn next?

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Something about lavender. But how did that tie into what happened to Nora or his team's patient?

Wilson wasn't helping, either. He hadn't said or done anything that would bring on the type of epiphanies he used to. House was glad he was moving far away if he couldn't do that anymore.

Of course, that wasn't the only thing Wilson was good for. Who else bought him lunch without a word? Who else shared adventures with him?

Cameron. Yes, and she provided – services – Wilson did not. So what did he need Wilson around for anyway?

That train of thought wasn't getting him any closer to solving the mystery of Nora's fainting spells.

What could lavender have to do with it? She certainly didn't wear that scent. But somewhere in the past he'd come across someone who did.

Wilson and the team came barging into his office.

"You've interrupted my thought process," he barked at them.

"Should we leave?" Jacobs was already half-way out the door.

He shook his head. "No, no. It's gone now. So, what've you got?"

Simpson's voice was full of excitement. "So, Stephanie's wrinkled skin is due to her exposure to UV lamps used in curing inks. It's likely some of her other ailments are due to the same thing."

"And you're just finding this out now?" House rolled his eyes. "Didn't you question her about her work early on?"

"Yes, but she didn't tell us the details of what she actually did," Jacobs said. "We'll evaluate all of her symptoms in light of this information."

"Of course you will."

"House, don't be so hard on them," Wilson said.

His gaze turned to the oncologist. "Why not?"

Hadley had been quiet up until then. "What about your patient? What'd the know-it-all say?"

"He found something the hospital's neurosurgeon missed. But it's probably nothing," Wilson said.

"And if you think we'll tell you more, you're sadly mistaken. You'll be happy to know, though, that Foreman's leaving the building." House added after some thought, "Lavender."

Hadley shrugged. "What about it? It's a flower, sometimes used in fragrances."

"Yeah, one of the floor nurses uses it," Jacobs said.

House smiled. "Is she one of the nurses tending to your patient?"

"Well, yeah. At least she did yesterday."

He blinked. "Before she fainted?"

Jacobs had to think about that. "Yes. You think that's what triggered her fainting spell? A scent sensitivity?"

House shrugged. He was already thinking about the questions he had for Nora.

"Don't you have to have allergies or be asthmatic for scents to cause such drastic problems?" Simpson asked.

"Usually, but not necessarily." House didn't elaborate.

Jacobs nodded. "We'll test your theory before we leave for the evening."

Wilson glanced at his watch. It was already three-thirty.

"So, we're about to wrap-up the diagnosis of our patient," Simpson said. "Want help with yours?"

House laughed. "I'm sure you can find another patient to harass. Mine's under control."

"Are you going to support Cameron tonight?"

House had to stop and think what she meant. The meeting. Cameron's speech. He'd completely forgotten about it. "Only if they serve cookies."

Cameron was going over her speech again. Was it strong enough without being aggressive? Did it touch on subjects the audience would be concerned about? The topics that got the best response when she spoke at the Labor Day festivities were the town schools and health and safety of the citizens of Shelby, so she planned to include those. She also had some other issues she wanted to address. Should she bring them up to this group? Would they care?

Her speech would take about fifteen minutes. Was that long enough? Too long? Then she had another thought. Would people ask questions? What if she didn't know the answers?

The one good thing was that it would give her the opportunity to see what she might encounter at Friday's meeting. Of course, that would be a different crowd.

Hannah knocked on the exam room door, and Cameron invited her in. "I finished the filing for today," the teen said. "Is there anything else for me to do?"

Cameron studied her. "Listen to this speech. I'm giving it tonight at a meeting of the DAR."

"What's the DAR?"

"The letters stand for daughters of the American revolution. It's an organization that does a lot of charity in this town."

"Oh, a bunch of old white ladies who do good deeds?" There was a sneer somewhere in her words.

"They're more than that, but yeah, mostly older women and I imagine they're almost all white."

"Why do you want to talk to them?"

Cameron shrugged. "Since I'm running for the town council, they asked me to speak."

"So, what are you going to say?"

Cameron started her speech. She knew it wasn't perfect. Perhaps Hannah would give her some ideas of how to improve it. She stopped halfway through it. "Well?"

Hannah looked like she was fighting with herself about what to say. "Don't get me wrong. I think your ideas are super. Kids my age would cheer, but those older ladies? Do they really care about what's happening at the school?"

"Some have grandchildren there, like Rachel's grandmother. And they offer scholarships so they're likely interested in schools."

"Well, maybe. I think they'd probably be more concerned with what you'd do for older folks."

Cameron nodded. "You may be right. I don't have much time to change this, but I'll add something about that."

"And talk about what you do here at the clinic. That helps everyone in town." Once she got started, Hannah had lots of suggestions.

Cameron smiled. She'd asked the right person.

"If you're not going with Cameron to hear her talk, what did you plan for tonight?" Wilson asked. They were on their way back to House's office after their last visit to Nora's room before leaving for the day. Nora hadn't known anyone who used lavender perfume.

"I don't spend all my time with her," House said.

The office was empty. House checked his watch. "Where's Foreman?"

"I wonder what he had to do after he left Nora earlier."

House shrugged. "The hospital's a big place."

"But he doesn't know anyone here."

"Who knows what he's playing at."

Five minutes later, Foreman finally walked through the door.

"Wherever you went, took long enough." House studied the neurologist. "What did you find so fascinating in your brief visit to this esteemed hospital?"

"Just looking around, House. Seems like a nice place, almost too good for the likes of you."

House's eyes narrowed, and he wondered if it had been such a good idea to bring Foreman in on the case after all. "Let's get back to Shelby, and then you can be on your way."

"I kinda like it here," Foreman said. "May even stay an extra day or two in your little haven."

House and Wilson exchanged frowns. House hoped he'd find a way to convince Foreman he wasn't welcome in either Shelby or Snow Hill.


	73. Chapter 73

Still haven't figured out how to sign the new Terms of Service Agreement at LJ.

But I'll continue to post here.

 **Chapter 73.**

The three doctors headed to the garage and House's car. They drove to Shelby in silence. The parking lot of the diner and motel was crowded, but House found a space near the diner end. Cameron and Jessica sat on one side of the booth when they entered. Wilson squeezed in next to Jessica.

"Where's my team?" House asked, frowning as Foreman sat next to him.

"They decided to eat at home. Still have some leftovers since before Magnani was hospitalized," Cameron said.

"That's the third team member? The one Remy's replacing?" Foreman asked.

"Yes. I know she likes it here, but she has interviews lined up at other hospitals once he recovers." At least Cameron assumed she did. She looked questioningly at House.

He rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Hope you don't mind, but we've already ordered. Allison has to be at the town hall by seven for the DAR meeting." Jessica took Wilson's hand. "Are you coming with us?"

After a quick glance at House, Wilson replied, "Sure."

Linda brought the two women their bowls of minestrone, then took the men's orders. "I'll be right back with coffee, unless you want something else."

"Coffee's fine, Linda," Wilson said.

Foreman had listened to what they all said. "Since when are you a member of the DAR?" he asked Cameron.

"No, I'm just giving a speech to them."

"Allison's running for town council," Jessica explained.

Foreman's brow furrowed. "Wow!"

"Why are you so surprised?" House asked. "Compassionate Cameron has found a place in the hearts of the residents of Shelby. She the man."

Cameron shook her head. "I think 'the man' is Will Davis. He's running for mayor."

"And he's also building Allison and House's house." Jessica giggled. "That sounded funny. Anyway, when will it be finished?"

"Will thinks another three or four weeks." Cameron grinned. "I can't wait."

"So the two of you are settling in here."

"You have a problem with that?" House leaned back, away from Foreman.

"No, no. Just that I never thought it would happen."

"Depends on what you mean by 'it'." House waited for Foreman to answer.

The neurologist took his time looking from one face to another, two of them smiling. "You're both so different from the way you were at PPTH."

"Speaking of which, I should check with Cullen again. See if they've come up with anything since they got the sketch." Cameron checked her watch. "Probably too late to catch him tonight."

"Sketch?" Foreman grimaced. "What sketch?"

"I remembered something or rather someone." Wilson smiled. "The police chief here in Shelby had a sketch artist draw the man then send it to the cops in Princeton. Seems my memories coming back in bits and spurts."

"So they're still investigating the explosion."

"Have to. Insurance won't pay until they know who caused it and close the case. And they can't start rebuilding until the insurance company pays up."

"I hate it at Princeton General," Foreman muttered.

"Cause you're not in charge of a department?" House asked, a sneer on his face.

"Maybe, but it's more the way the place is run. You saw what it was like."

"Yeah, that's why Hadley jumped at the chance to help House's team here." Wilson clammed up.

House hoped it wasn't giving Foreman any ideas.

Cameron glanced at her watch. "Sorry to eat and run." She dropped her spoon in her empty soup bowl.

"Remember, we're going with," Jessica told her just as Linda brought dinner for the three men.

Wilson looked at the food. "Why don't you two go ahead, and I'll meet you there." He let Jessica and Cameron out, then sat again and began eating.

"See you later." Jessica bent and kissed Wilson's cheek.

The two women exited the diner, and then there was silence.

"Don't be nervous," Jessica told Cameron. "They'll love you no matter what you say."

They got into Jessica's car and drove to the town hall for the meeting. The parking lot behind the building was almost full, but they found a spot. The meeting room inside was just as crowded.

Anna came over as they entered. "I'm so glad you're both here. Come and let me introduce you to some folks you might not already know."

The next half hour, Cameron met a few women she'd seen around town but hadn't formally met, but the rest of the people there had all passed through the clinic at one time or another. Even Jessica knew a few from her stint as assistant to a veterinarian in town.

In fact, he and his wife were there and greeted her warmly. "I hope this means you're coming back to town," Dr. Lawson said.

"I'm afraid not. I have a couple of interviews with veterinary clinics in Salt Lake City in a few days."

His wife, Mary, frowned. "You're moving that far away?"

"Yes, I think so. Nothing's final yet. But I do hope I can use you as a reference, Dr. Lawson."

"Oh, of course. The place hasn't been the same since you left. Poor Lillian struggles to treat so many pets in a day."

By the time Cameron was introduced to speak, she felt more relaxed. These weren't strangers but friends and acquaintances. And then she looked toward the doorway. Wilson hadn't come alone – House stood with him. She had to take a deep breath to calm her racing heartbeat.

Pamela stood aside, motioning her to the microphone. Cameron glanced once at her notes, folded them and put them away. "I see many familiar faces here tonight, so I guess most of you know me." Once she got started, the words came to her. She'd practiced enough that she could make all the points she wanted to, even if not in the originally intended order.

Five times she was interrupted by applause, and each time she smiled broader than before. By the end of the speech, she was grinning. Not too shabby.

Afterward, many people she hadn't spoken to before her speech came forward to shake her hand. One of them was House. "Too bad there aren't any folks here who don't love you."

All she could think to say was, "That's a double negative."

He laughed. "You done good girl."

"I hope so. At this point I'm so stoked I can't tell."

"Believe me. Your election is in the bag."

She knew he wouldn't be more demonstrative about his pride, but his words were enough for her.

"Do you have to stick around here much longer?" he asked.

"No." She lightly touched his hand. "Let me say goodnight to a few people and then we can go." She found Pamela and Anna talking to Wilson and Jessica. "House and I are leaving. Thanks everyone."

"You did a wonderful job tonight," Anna said. "Not that I'm surprised." She beamed.

Cameron returned to House. "We can go now." When they reached the car, she got in and collapsed into her seat. "That took a lot out of me."

He glanced at her. "But worth it."

"I guess. It did help that the audience was so enthusiastic."

It took the time needed to drive to Edna's for Cameron to refocus. "How'd it go at the hospital today?"

House chuckled. "Foreman was Foreman. Found something on the scans no one else did and wants to be here when Nora has her neurosurgery."

"He doesn't want to move here, does he?"

House shrugged. "He spent a few hours roaming the hospital after he proved he was right about Nora. And you saw him at dinner. Of course he does!" He smirked. "Who wouldn't?"

"So how do we dissuade him?" she asked.

"Well, for one thing, I'm pretty sure Meisner, although grateful, won't be offering him a position at Snow Hill sometime soon. On the other hand, he wants outta Princeton General real bad." He emphasized the word real.

Cameron grimaced. "Wish there were some way we could aim him in a different direction."

"Like where?"

"Boston or New York, maybe. He's not a small town type."

House nodded. "Yeah, maybe a couple of days here will remind him of that."

Edna sat at her kitchen table when they entered. "Well, how did it go?" She grinned, probably anticipating Cameron's reply.

"Better than I hoped," was all she said.

House rolled his eyes. "Don't let her fool you. She's a natural. Had 'em eating out of her proverbial palms."

"Of course they were! You're going to win this race by a landslide, Allison."

Pink tinged Cameron's cheeks. "I'm glad so many people like me. It's kind of a new experience for me."

"They know you'll do a marvelous job." Edna stood. "Can I offer either of you anything?"

"No, House had a big dinner and then there were loads of coffee, tea and cookies at the meeting."

"Well, don't let me keep you. I'm sure it's been a long day."

They said goodnight, and Cameron and House tramped down the stairs to their place. She dropped her purse on the counter and turned to House, putting her arms around his neck. "Thanks for coming tonight."

"Couldn't have kept me away."

She grinned. "Your approval was the cherry on top."

"You should know by now that, as much as I gave you a hard time in the past, I'm very proud of you as a doctor and as a person. Just don't go blabbing that to everyone you meet."

She chuckled. "Wouldn't think of it."

His hands slid around her waist. "And I especially hope we'll celebrate each and every victory, every standing ovation, every pat on the back, every cheer you receive."

"That's a given." She leaned even closer and kissed him.

"Guess we'll start right now."

"Wouldn't have it any other way." She grinned as she helped him off with his shirt.

He did the same for her. Soon, that wasn't all that was off.

Before they were completely naked, she kicked off her shoes and opened the couch, pulling House down with her.

It had been a while since they'd had the energy or desire, but made up for lost time. She ran her hands from the sides of his face all the way down to his other cheeks.

He ran a trail of kisses from her the lips on her face across her breasts and taut stomach to her other lips.

She sighed with pleasure, then moaned, closing her eyes the better to enjoy every touch, every kiss.

Their lovemaking was slower and more sensuous than usual. No need for them to rush, but soon they reached a point of excitement that wouldn't be denied. They burned with desire, that need to become one, to climb the heights to the peak of ecstasy.

"You're intoxicating tonight," he murmured in her ear.

"So are you. We should do this more often."

And then they were too busy, too carried away for words.

"Now that's what I call a great end to a pretty good day." She rolled onto her back, a big grin across her face.

"Oh, something else besides your successful wooing of the DAR?" He chuckled.

"Among other things, I told Hannah to ask her mother to cover for Carol when she's out on maternity leave, and to start immediately to learn the ropes."

"Think she'll accept?" He turned to his side, bending his arm and resting his head on his palm.

"Absolutely. Hannah says she's had a hard time finding work."

House nodded.

"How was your day?" She asked.

"I helped the team figure out what caused their patient to faint."

"Oh? What was it?" She was suddenly more alert. "Could it have anything to do with Nora's spells?"

"Lavender. A nurse who treated Stephanie wore lavender scent. We think it set off a reaction. Unfortunately, Nora didn't come in contact with anyone like that before she fainted. At least the team's patient's syncope is explained. Yes, and her other symptoms were due to exposure to UV radiation on the job."

Cameron opened her eyes wide. "They hadn't realized that before?"

"No." He laughed. "They were dutifully contrite."

"But you still don't have an answer for Nora."

"Nope."

"You will. I have faith you will."

"Oh, you do, do you?"

She grinned and nodded. "It's coming. Maybe not as fast as you wanted, but soon. Your mind will make the connection."

"I sure hope so. Meisner and his wife are counting on me." He closed his eyes and opened them again. "I don't want to disappoint them."

"They're special people. I'm glad you're working for him. It suits you."

He hesitated. "I'm having mixed feelings about Wilson moving so far away."

"He hasn't landed the job in Salt Lake City yet."

"No, but do you really think they'd turn him down? I mean, c'mon. He'd be a major coup for any hospital."

"But you want him closer, maybe not Snow Hill close, but nearby?" she guessed.

"That's what I'm not sure of. He hasn't had his magical effect on me this time."

"Just because he hasn't yet triggered your brain..."

"Is it him or me? It almost always worked before. Which of us has changed?"

She grimaced. "You're afraid it's you."

"Yeah. I guess so. And some of the other things he used to do for me, well, you do many of them now."

"Your relationships with the two of us are different, House. You have history with him."

"Maybe."

"Oh, definitely."

"He'll be back to do Nora's surgery next week, and probably for our house warming."

"That's something. It's not like he's going someplace inaccessible. We can visit him and Jessica."

"Guess so."


	74. Chapter 74

Thanks for all the great comments!

 **Chapter 74.**

The next morning, the team, Wilson and Jessica joined House and Cameron at the diner for breakfast.

Wilson grinned. "Linda says Foreman had an early breakfast and checked out of the motel."

"Good." House nodded slightly.

Cameron rubbed her hands together. "We talked last night about ways to divert his attention from this area, places he might be happier getting a job."

"And?"

"Anyone know of openings in New York or Boston?"

Hadley laughed. "That's not far enough away for me."

"He worked in New York for a while once, didn't he?" Wilson asked.

"Yeah. Got in trouble there."

"But there are lots of hospitals in New York, not to mention private practices."

They ate as they each thought that over.

Cameron didn't exactly change the subject when she told the others, "Hannah's mother may come to work for me. Carol will train her to take over after the baby's born."

"Great idea." Jacobs smiled. "Poor woman's been through so much."

"Will her husband be tried here or in Georgia?" Jessica asked.

"Last I heard they have a better case against him."

Cameron sighed. "Long as he stays away from his family."

Wilson's phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and said, "Cullen." He hit the green indicator. "Hello, detective. Any luck with the drawing?" He put the phone on speaker so the others could hear.

Cullen's voice sounded tired. "Yeah. Definitely the guy we're after. And you'll testify you saw him with Lucas the day of the bombing?"

"Sure. But listen, I may be moving to Utah soon. Any chance I can sign a deposition when I return to New Jersey?"

"That shouldn't be a problem." Cullen paused. "I'll put the paperwork together. When are you due back? You still in Maryland?"

"Yes, we're still in Shelby but we'll drive home this afternoon." Wilson smiled at Jessica, but the others frowned.

"Good. Stop by the station tomorrow morning and we'll take care of everything then."

"Got a line on the guy? Know where he is?"

"Nah. He seems to have disappeared, but we've got BOLOs out in every state in the northeast. We'll find him. And then he'll pay."

Once Wilson finished the call, Jessica's brother blurted, "I'm gonna miss you, Sis."

"We'll miss you guys, too. But we'll be back, right Jim?"

Wilson nodded. "Next week, in fact, so I can operate on Mrs…on House's patient."

"And then you'll be back for our housewarming." Cameron smiled.

"You're not rid of us so quickly," Jessica smiled. "Lots of reasons for us to visit, and we hope you'll visit us, too."

"Does that include me?" Hadley asked.

"If you want. Do you know what you'll be doing after your stint here with House's team?" Wilson sipped his coffee, then added another packet of sugar.

"I'll go back to Princeton General to start. Once I know what's happening with PPTH, I'll decide where to go next." She looked at her hands. "I've liked it here. It's a more relaxed atmosphere, but I doubt House wants me to stay." She smirked.

He studied her. There were things about the woman he didn't understand but she was a good doctor. Still, he needed to break all ties with his former life – except Cameron of course. And a looser tie to Wilson. "There are plenty of places that'll hire you."

The team stood as one. "Time to head to the hospital and find another patient to torture with tests," Simpson said. "Buy, Jess, Dr. Wilson. We'll see you next week."

His sister stood to hug him, and then the three young doctors were off.

"What time are you leaving?" House asked Wilson.

"After lunch, I think. I'd like to see Nora and her husband one more time and check out the arrangements for her surgery."

"Jessica?" Cameron asked.

"Why don't I tag along with you for a little while? We can meet Jim back here for lunch later."

"Sounds good."

The two men finished their coffees and left, and Jessica accompanied Cameron across the alley to the clinic. Carol was already there, but Naomi Briggs hadn't arrived yet. Jessica admired Carol's growing belly with a grin. "You must be so excited."

Carol nodded. "Excited and a bit scared. I've been told all first-time mothers feel that way. At this point, though, I'll be glad to lose the basketball that's sitting on my bladder."

The three women laughed as the door opened and the first patient of the day arrived.

"I'll stay out here," Jessica said.

Cameron ushered the patient into the examination room. "How can I help you today, Mrs. Fleischer?"

"It's these damn knees again. I know I shouldn't be kneeling on 'em to weed or clean the floor, but who else will do those things for me?"

Cameron examined the older woman, noting her flexibility was reduced and her pain levels had increased since her last visit. "Are you taking your arthritis medication?"

"Well, no, or rather, sometimes, when I remember."

"Taking it on a regular basis will help. Also, remember the stretches and exercises I showed you last time?"

"Kind of."

Cameron demonstrated them again. "Now do those religiously and it'll help keep you young, okay?" She helped the woman off the exam table. "I'll want to see you in a week. Hopefully you'll feel a bit better by then." Cameron walked Mrs. Fleischer out.

Naomi Briggs entered the reception area at the same time.

Mrs. Fleischer nodded to Carol and then to Jessica and Naomi.

"Mrs. Fleischer will be visiting us again next week, same day same time," Cameron told Carol, who nodded and brought up the schedule on her computer.

Once the older woman had left, Cameron introduced Naomi to the other two women. "Carol will show you what she does for me."

Naomi seemed to shrink. "Um, I'm not sure I can do it." Her voice shook.

"At least for now, I'll need you to put away the paper files, especially the ones that go on the bottom." Carol pointed. "Can't get down there anymore." She chuckled and rubbed her lower back.

"When are you due?" Naomi asked.

"In ten weeks, so we have plenty of time to get you up to speed."

"Will I have to use that thing?" Naomi pointed to the terminal on Carol's desk. "Never used a computer before."

"Do you know how to type?" Cameron asked.

"Oh, yes. Of course. Learned how in school, but that was years ago."

"Well, it's basically the same thing, only instead of a typewriter, you type on the keyboard." Cameron didn't want to downplay the need or the difficulty. "We have a system. Carol will show you how we keep the files online. For each patient, you duplicate what's in the paper file with notes on the computer file. There's slightly different information in each, but take your time to learn which we need in which place."

"Oh." Naomi bit her lip. "I guess I can learn that."

"Sure you can." Carol exchanged a quick glance with Cameron. "Why don't I show you with the files for your children from when they got their shots a couple of weeks ago."

A patient entered and Cameron left the two of them, as Jessica's phone pinged and she answered a text, probably from Wilson.

He'd accompanied House to Nora's room. "You're looking cheerful this morning." He smiled at the patient.

"We may not know everything about my various ailments, but at least I know I'm getting the care of some very talented doctors."

Meisner sat at her bedside, holding her hands in his. "Dr. Wilson, I've made all the arrangements for the surgery next Thursday morning. All you have to do is show up. And perform the operation, of course."

Wilson nodded. "I'll be here."

Meisner handed him some forms. "You will have to fill out this paperwork, but it's all routine, so there shouldn't be any problem."

Wilson glanced at the top of the first page. Mostly boilerplate.

"What about compensation?" House asked, knowing Wilson wouldn't be that crass.

"Oh, we'll pay Dr. Wilson his customary fees." Meisner pointed to the paperwork. "Just add a notation about the numbers."

"I'll fill these out before I leave and then see you both next Thursday."

"Dr. House, Dr. Foreman didn't leave any of his information. I wonder if you'd mind providing it," Meisner said.

House smirked. "Not at all." Besides low-balling Foreman's fees, he'd make sure to do something else. He'd have to think of an appropriate something. "He wandered around the hospital for a while yesterday. Any idea what he was after?"

"I was going to ask you that. The man may be highly competent, but not the sort of person I'd want here at Snow Hill."

"My sentiments exactly." House grinned, and Wilson laughed.

"It's been a pleasure meeting both of you." Wilson held out his free hand, and both of the Meisner's shook it.

"We'll get out of your hair. I'll take Wilson to the cafeteria for some coffee and let him fill out all of the forms."

As they walked to the elevators, Wilson said, "I know you don't really want me working here, but that's one first-class boss you've gotten yourself."

"He's mine. Hands off."

They both laughed as they took the elevator to the first floor. But Wilson's laugh wasn't as sincere. "No need to worry. I'm leaving. If I don't get the job in Salt Lake City..."

"...you will."

Wilson smirked. "Thanks for the confidence in me. But there'll be other opportunities. I sorta understand why you'd rather mine weren't here."

"We're both better off if we're not too near each other."

After a beat Wilson nodded slowly. "I can see that. You've changed, House. Maybe I have, too."

"Our co-dependence kept us from becoming the people, the _doctors_ we can be."

"I'd say that statement was too pat, but it's true."

"We'll always be friends. I wouldn't want that to end. Ever."

"Me either. How about Baltimore. Or maybe D.C.?"

House smirked. "Certainly better than the other end of the universe."

"You've traveled enough to know Salt Lake City is far from the other end of the universe."

House shrugged. "Might as well be."

They reached the cafeteria and got in line. With trays containing coffee and pie, they found a table. It was mid-morning and the place was relatively empty.

Wilson put the pile of papers down next to his tray. "Awful lot of documentation for a simple operation."

"Hospital's gotta watch its back."

Wilson started paging through the pack. "Worse than signing a mortgage on a condo."

House chuckled, coffee dribbling out the side of his mouth. He swallowed. "Like I said, the hospital has to be careful."

Wilson nodded and started the signing process with pauses to eat a bite of pie or drink a sip of coffee. "Wherever I end up, this'll be the gold standard to measure against."

"You can't mean the coffee or even the pie."

"No, this hospital in general. I'm glad you found it."

"Me too."

Cameron escorted a patient to the front door and handed the file to Carol, who passed it on to Naomi. "Let's see if you can read Dr. Cameron's notes on Mr. Kenner's file."

Sitting at Carol's computer, Naomi pursed her lips in concentration, read the top page in the file, and started typing, but immediately stopped. "I can't find Mr. Kenner's file." Panic filled her voice.

Carol stood behind her. "Let me see." She looked at what Naomi typed as her search. The name was right. It should have brought up the file. "Oh. I see the problem. It's my fault. When I set up his file, I put his first name in the last name field and vice versa. Key in his first name there." She pointed to the place Naomi had typed Kenner.

Naomi typed 'Jack' and then 'Kenner' in the first name field. This time the correct file came up.

"Lucky his first names isn't Charles. We have several patients with that last name."

"So now if something like that happens again, I should try the first name."

"I hope I didn't make that mistake on any others, but, yeah, you can always do that." Carol turned her attention to Cameron. "Naomi's really good. She types fast and has already picked up our system."

Cameron smiled. "Good. Jessica, are you ready to go to lunch?"

Jessica nodded. "Bye, ladies. I'll probably see you when I'm back next week."

"Can I bring anything back for you?" Cameron asked Carol and Naomi.

"Some soup would be good," Carol said. "Whatever Mo has today."

Naomi reached for her purse. "How much would some soup be?"

"Today, it's on me," Cameron said.

When Jessica and Cameron reached the diner, the booth was empty. "I'm going to miss you," Cameron told the young veterinarian.

"I doubt we'll be strangers. Besides coming back next week, we'll both find excuses to return to Shelby." Jessica sipped at the iced tea Linda brought her.

They both ordered and told Linda that Cameron would want to containers of soup to take back to the clinic after lunch.

Cameron glanced out the window, then back to Jessica. "How do you feel about going so far away from your brother? You don't have much other family, do you?"

"No. But Bart and I have each gone our own way before. As nice as it is to be near him, we each have our own lives to live. I try not to interfere even though I know he's hurting because Heather prefers Rocco to him."

"He's young. He'll find the right person some day."

"Yes, the way you and I have."

Cameron grinned just as Jessica's right person arrived. But Wilson wasn't smiling.


	75. Chapter 75

I'll be traveling this weekend and then for a vacation beginning next week, but hope to post another chapter between the two trips. Meanwhile, here's a new chapter.

 **Chapter 75.**

"What's wrong?" Cameron and Jessica said at once.

"I just got a call from Salt Lake City. The interview's off. They already filled the position." Wilson's glum expression tugged at Cameron's heart. He and Jessica had been set on moving, despite the fact that they'd be far away.

Cameron pursed her lips. "Look on the bright side. Now you can look for a position closer than three-quarters of the way across the country."

"It just seemed like the right move. A clean break from New Jersey. A very new kind of life for us." He sunk into the booth seat across from them.

"Does House know?" Cameron wondered how he'd take the news. "Or Dr. Meisner?"

"I know Meisner would offer me a job here, but House and I agreed we're both better off if we work at different hospitals."

"Snow Hill Mercy isn't the only game in town," she pointed out.

Jessica nodded. "And there's always Baltimore or D.C. Even Salisbury."

"Don't you think I've been checking for openings in any of those places?" Wilson rubbed his face.

Cameron reached across the table to put a hand on his. "Maybe Meisner knows of something, a place that's not advertising yet. I'm sure he'd put in a good word for you."

Jessica smiled slightly. "Guess we can stay here for now while you look. You'd planned to return for Nora's surgery next week anyway."

Wilson nodded. "I'd better cancel our plane reservations and hotel in Utah."

Cameron smiled at him. "Wilson, you'll find something."

"All I can do is try."

The two women exchanged glances. Cameron knew she'd do anything to help her friend.

Wilson shrugged. "Let's talk about something else. How'd your morning go?"

"Naomi seemed to be catching on pretty quickly. I think that'll work out at least."

"I was watching Carol with her," Jessica said. "They hit it off immediately, and that will help Naomi settle in."

"At least someone's got a new job."

Cameron raised her eyebrows. "I thought we were changing the subject."

"Sorry."

Linda finally finished with the folks at the next table and came to take their orders. "The lunch special is a grilled cheese and bacon sandwich with a cup of tomato soup."

"Hmmm, sounds good to me," Jessica said.

"I'll just have the soup and a garden salad," Cameron said.

Wilson seemed to think it over. "To hell with it. I'll have a double cheeseburger with everything on it, fries and...and the soup."

"Gotcha." Linda left to place their orders.

"You don't usually eat like that," Cameron said. "Now House, he could eat that all the time and never gain any weight."

"Need to drown my sorrows somehow. I may even have a chocolate shake and two pieces of pie."

"Oh, Jim. It's not the end of the world. There are plenty of hospitals out there that'd be thrilled to have you."

"I think in this case they didn't want to pay for an experienced doctor."

"Well, their loss." Jessica narrowed her eyes. "After lunch, I'll help you look for someplace even better."

"It does help to have you around. You, too, Cameron."

"And House? You should call and let him know."

"I will. Right now I want to forget about it and enjoy my lunch." His phone beeped.

"House?"

"No, Cullen. Hope they found that guy." He answered, "Detective, how can I help you?" He put his phone on speaker.

"We have a lead on Danny Butler. He has family in upstate New York, and we think he's staying with them. Would you be available to ID him if we locate and bring him in for additional questioning?" Cullen asked.

"I'm all yours until next Thursday when I have to be in Snow Hill, Maryland to perform surgery," Wilson told him.

"Good. I'll let you know what happens."

After the call ended, Cameron said, "Isn't Butler the electrician who pulled the other guy out of the wreckage?"

"Yeah. Off and on they've been leaning toward him as the perp. Guess he's on the run, which only makes him seem guilty."

"I hope they finally clear this up so the insurance company can pay up and they can start to rebuild PPTH."

"Even if they do, I wouldn't go back there."

Cameron smirked. "I don't blame you."

Linda brought their food and they ate in silence for a few minutes.

"I wonder," Cameron began.

"Wonder what?" Jessica prompted.

"Wilson, I know you like working with patients, and you're good with them, but would you consider teaching?"

"You mean at a medical school? I did lecture for some courses at PPTH, but I don't have House's flair for it."

"He doesn't realize what a great teacher he is. But you could be too. Don't restrict your search to hospitals. Check out some of the top med schools."

Wilson ruminated on that for a full three minutes. "It's an idea. There are several good ones right here on the east coast, this central part particularly."

"Many, like PPTH, have hospitals associated with them where you could consult or even practice."

"I'll check that out."

The two-thirds of House's team not hospitalized burst through his door with Hadley trailing behind.

"We think we found our next case." Simpson handed him a file with a flourish. "This one's a doozy."

House skimmed the first pages in the file then looked up. "Not bad." He didn't sound suitably impressed.

"Should we keep looking?" Jacobs frowned.

"No. This'll do. Go tell Lembach you'll take the case." He watched them go, then leaned back and closed his eyes. He'd tried everything he knew to trigger the link in his brain that would tell him why Nora Meisner fainted, but thoughts of his mixed reactions to Wilson moving out west cut through at the oddest times.

His cellphone sounded Wilson's ringtone. He sighed and answered. "What's up?"

"Couple of things I thought you might like to know."

"Busy."

Wilson chuckled. "Not too busy for this."

House couldn't tell from Wilson's tone whether the things were good or bad. "So?"

"We're not going to Utah. They filled the position."

House suddenly sat up straight. An involuntary grin spread across his face. "So you're back to square one in the job search." He tried to downplay his enthusiasm.

"Yeah, and Cameron suggested I look into med school's that might be hiring."

"Not a bad idea. Broadens the field."

"Exactly. And I heard from Cullen. They're closing in on Danny Butler."

Two great pieces of news. Now he just had to figure out his own puzzle. "Good."

"We'll stick around here while I continue looking for a job, unless Cullen needs me to ID Butler."

Yes! House did a fist pump, glad no one was watching. He did want Wilson nearby. Why did that make him feel lighter, ease some of the tension in his body? Was it the knowledge he wasn't really rejecting his friend?

"House? You still there?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just wondering about...about Butler. What was his motivation?"

"Who knows. Who knows why anyone does anything. Maybe when they bring him in, he'll tell all."

"Fat chance. Okay. Get to work finding that dream job. Gotta run. My team has a new patient." House closed the connection. He had to think things through before he talked to Wilson again. And to Cameron.

Rather than look for his team, House closed his eyes, the better to let his mind go. New thoughts and ideas mingled with those he'd revisited many times. The old ones got him nowhere with the immediate problem of Nora's fainting but the new ones grappled with Wilson's need for a position not too far away from Shelby. He didn't really care why Butler might have wanted to destroy PPTH. He might have done the same if he were less controlled. But with the issue of the explosion essentially resolved, he didn't have to think about it anymore.

Unbidden, an image flashed through his mind. He was still in med school. A professor with Wilson's soothing bedside manner taught a class on joint diseases. In the middle of a lecture, Professor Adams passed out. The students flocked to the front of the room. While one called for help, two examined the man. All Adam's vitals were normal, even his blood pressure.

The professor was taken to the hospital attached to Johns Hopkins. They never heard why he'd fainted, but by the next week, the man was back in front of the classroom as if it hadn't happened.

There'd been all sorts of speculation about what caused the spell, ranging from heat and/or hunger to some kind of magical spell, but House's favorite was Adam's liking for diet sodas. He always had a can on his desk, and would take a sip when his throat dried from speaking. That was in the days when saccharin and a few of the older artificial sweeteners were used. House still believed the man's body hadn't tolerated it and shut down.

He was out the door and on the way to Nora's room before his questions for her were completely formulated.

She was alone, drinking ice water and frowning. "Why can't they bring me my favorite diet Pepsi? Water's boring."

"Nora, is that what you were drinking that afternoon before you fainted?" He didn't wait for her to reply. "And did someone bring you one before you fainted here in the hospital?"

"What? What does soda have to do with anything?"

"It may be the sweetener, or even the carbonation."

"They made me faint?" She shook her head. "But I've drunk that stuff like forever without that happening."

"Did you add anything to it?"

"Like what?"

"Some people add rum."

She sat up straighter and scowled. "Well, I don't, and certainly not here in the hospital."

"Then it's whatever you were drinking that day."

"You're positive?"

House nodded.

She sighed. "Okay. That day I was drinking diet Sprite, rather than Pepsi. My sister prefers it, and I don't mind."

House nodded. "Diet Sprite contains Aspartame. For a while diet Pepsi didn't, but I guess they had to start using it again. Still..."

"What's wrong with Aspartame?"

"No one knows the long term effects. Actually there are debates about whether it causes cancer."

"Oh!" She clapped a hand to her mouth.

"No real proof, though. And I don't remember anyone saying it caused anyone to faint."

"Oh."

"What else did you have? Any snacks you haven't mentioned?"

"Not that I recall. Dr. House, why did you ask about what I was drinking?"

"I know of a case where someone fainted, but they never knew why. One possible cause was what he drank."

"Well, I've told you all I remember." She pursed her lips while she thought about it. "And when I fainted here in the hospital, I hadn't had any diet drinks."

"True." He rubbed the back of his head. "Guess I'll have to think about this some more."

He walked out the door leaving a bewildered Nora wondering what had just happened.

House stopped at the nurses' station and requested Nora's file. There were a few things he wanted to review about her initial lab work. But when he returned to his office, he noticed the team assembled in the conference room. "Having fun with the new patient?" He glanced at what one of them had written on the whiteboard. From the handwriting, he guessed it was Jacobs.

"I think we already solved this one." Simpson sounded disappointed.

"That was fast." House snickered.

"You picked it," Hadley said.

"I thought it was Heather." He glared at her.

"Next time, I'm choosing," Hadley insisted.

"So, what was it?" curiosity made House ask.

"Alagille Syndrome. We should have known from the condition of the liver." Simpson continued to pout.

Hadley stood. "Let's go get some more files from Lembach. There's gotta be one that's difficult enough for you."

Jacobs nodded and followed her out the door. After a minute, Simpson did too.

House finally entered his office and began his search through Nora Meisner's file. All the results were as he'd remembered. Nothing unusual, nothing stood out. In fact, nothing was remotely a result of her fainting spell just a few hours before her blood was drawn.

His eyes were drawn to a handwritten notation next to her normal b.p. reading. _Blood pressure taken in right arm, sitting._ It wasn't his handwriting. He'd taken the blood samples himself, but who took the pressure?

He stared at the page, trying to recollect an image of who was in the room working on the patient. Himself, of course, and a nurse, but she was only there to hand things to him. Meisner. He was there too.

House knew blood pressure varied, depending on a patient's position, and even which arm or other site it was taken. Leaving the file on his desk, he went in search of Dr. Meisner.


	76. Chapter 76

Here's a chapter to keep you all entertained (I hope) while I'm on vacation. Look for more in two weeks.

 **Chapter 76.**

House found Meisner in his office. He waved the paper in front of his boss. "Is that your handwriting?"

"Yes."

"I know we were trying to do everything at once the day we had Nora brought to the hospital, but why didn't you take her b.p. standing?" House tried unsuccessfully to keep his annoyance out of his voice. Sure, he'd done that with other bosses, but he didn't want to in this case.

"If you remember, she was too weak to stand," Meisner didn't sound miffed. "And you were taking blood from her other arm, so I couldn't check that one. House, I know in situations like this comparative blood pressures can be helpful, but frankly, I was too upset. She's my wife."

House nodded. "The data we had indicated that all of her vitals were normal, which was strange after a fainting spell."

Meisner frowned. "Well, it's too late now to get those readings."

"Maybe not."

"What are you thinking?" Meisner sounded hopeful.

"If we can cause her to faint again..."

Meisner shook his head. "But we don't know what triggered it in the first place."

"This will give us a reason to try some of the possibilities I've considered." House turned to the door, then over his shoulder he said, "Meet me in Nora's room in five."

Meisner stared at his back, shrugged, and returned to his wife's room.

Cameron left Wilson and Jessica talking about places where he could look for a job, mostly cities not far away. She returned to the clinic with the requested lunch for Carol and Naomi. The two of them were laughing about something Carol was showing Naomi on the computer.

"What's so funny?" Cameron asked.

"Come see," Carol invited, scooting her chair back so Cameron could come closer to her desk.

Cameron took one look and laughed too. "Is that a commercial or something? I've never seen it."

"It's a Facebook ad."

"Even I know that's impossible." Naomi tilted her head then shook it.

Carol turned off the ad and they all stopped laughing as the front door opened and Pete Carver entered. His sun-weathered face was paler than Cameron ever saw.

"Pete, how can I help you today?" She led him into the exam room.

"I'm awful sick, Doc." He rubbed his stomach. "Musta ate some bad fish or somethin'."

She took his vitals. His temperature was over one hundred, and his skin was clammy. "Or it could be flu."

"But I got my shot," he objected.

She nodded, since she gave it to him herself. Still, the inoculations weren't a hundred percent effective. "Stick out your tongue." Her penlight showed red spots on the back of the roof of his mouth and his throat. His lymph nodes seemed swollen. "I think you have strep throat. I'll take a sample and culture it then start you on antibiotics."

"But it's my stomach, Doc. I've been throwin' up an' everything."

"That's actually a symptom of strep throat." She took a sample and did a rapid test. Within minutes it came back positive. "Definitely strep. Take this prescription to the pharmacy. And stay home, drink lots of tea and take the medicine until you finish what they give you. Okay?"

"Sure, Doc." He waved to Carol and Naomi as he left.

Naomi stayed at the clinic leaving at two-thirty so she'd be home when Sarah and Jacob arrived on the school bus. Carol smiled watching her go. "She's going to be just fine," she told Cameron. "It didn't take her long to pick up all of my tricks with the online files. She's fast, too. Not just her typing, but the physical filing too."

"So you're happy with our choice?" Cameron grinned. "I know I am. The poor woman has been held back so long by her husband's rules and iron fist."

"I'm confident I can leave the office in her hands, knowing when I return there won't be a pile of work waiting for me."

A young woman entered holding her right elbow with her left, the forearm aimed straight up. "I'm bleeding," she said.

A stream flowed from the right hand down the arm and dripped on the clinic floor. Carol rushed to clean it, but Cameron said, "Leave it. You can't get down there, or if you did, it would be hard to get up. I'll do it after I tend to her hand."

Cameron led the woman into the exam room. "Tell me what happened Miss..."

"Mrs. Mancini."

Cameron examined the hand, noting a gash in the palm. The broken skin was jagged. Cameron used a wet cotton cloth to clean some of the blood so she could determine whether stitches were needed.

Mrs. Mancini watched her carefully. "I...I was...I grabbed the pruning shears, not realizing they were open."

Cameron nodded, saturating a new piece of cloth with disinfectant. "This is going to burn."

The woman's hand jerked as the solution touched the open wound.

"I have to put in a couple of stitches to close this up. It should heal quickly, though." Cameron found the suture thread and sterilized a needle. Deftly, she applied three tiny stitches to hold the skin together as it healed. "Keep this clean and change the gauze and bandage at least once a day. If there's more than a spot of bleeding, come back. You may have a slight scar."

"Thank you, Dr. Cameron. My friend said you were the best." Mrs. Mancini smiled at her. She again held the hand in her other one."

Cameron led her to the reception room. "Carol, please start a file for Mrs. Mancini." She turned to the young woman. "Give Carol your insurance card and answer any questions she asks." Ordinarily, she'd have asked for that before tending to the woman, but she'd dealt with emergencies before where it was more important to treat the patient then to have their information. This was a walk-in clinic after all.

While Carol collected the data from Mrs. Mancini, Cameron cleaned the blood splatter from the floor. She watched the patient, thinking about what she'd said had happened. It was almost consistent with the gash in her hand, yet something seemed off. Listening to the answers the young woman gave to the standard questions, Cameron wondered how she could be so relaxed after loosing so much blood.

House arrived in Nora's room ten minutes later than he'd said, his arms full of an assortment of items. He opened a small bottle and held it right under her nose. "Take a whiff."

She inhaled and started coughing, but nothing else changed.

"Good. Now this one." The second bottle House waved at her was larger. This time, she wrinkled her nose and said, "Ewww."

House laughed. "Last, this one."

Before she sniffed it she gave him an annoyed look. "Is this supposed to help you discover why I fainted? Because it doesn't seem to be working."

"Try it."

She grimaced, then half-heartedly breathed it in, coughed and fainted.

Meisner's mouth and eyes opened wide. "What was that?"

"I was on the right track when I said lavendar. It's gardenia. Now, quickly take her blood pressure in her right arm, and I'll take it in the left when you've finished." When he noticed Meisner hesitated, he added. "She won't be out long. Do it now."

Meisner wheeled the manual b.p. machine close to his wife's right side, applied the cuff and took a reading. It didn't take long to register. "Normal."

"Gimme that." House reached out a hand for the pole holding the device and moved it to Nora's other side. He took her pressure again. "It's low, one hundred over fifty."

"Big difference from the one fifteen over seventy-five I measured."

"Yeah."

"Gardenia, you say?"

"That's what it was."

"But we don't have a gardenia tree or bush or whatever they grow on." Meisner looked puzzled.

House shrugged. "When she wakes up, we can ask her about it."

"I guess."

They didn't have to wait. Nora's eyes fluttered open and she said, "Wha...what happened?"

"You inhaled the odor of gardenias."

She clapped a hand to her mouth. When she removed it, she smiled. "Mrs. Lonnigan from next door brought me a bouquet."

"But that wouldn't explain why Nora fainted here at the hospital later on."

"Hmmm." House cupped his chin and narrowed his eyes. "And there weren't any flowers in the room." He looked around. "Where's that magazine you were reading?"

"What?"

"Sometimes those things contain inserted ads containing scents."

"Oh!" Her brow furrowed. "I think one of the nurses took it when she brought me my dinner the first or second night."

House nodded. "Do you remember which one it was?"

"Probably Vanity Fair. Last month's issue, I think."

Without another word, House left in search of the magazine.

Angela Mancini left, and Carol said. "Do you believe that's what happened to cause those cuts in her palm?"

"Not really. But it's not up to us to question patients about the stories they tell. Had you ever seen her before?"

Carol shook her head. "The address she gave is near the high school."

"Is it?" Cameron's eyebrows went up. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to check it out."

"And we can check the insurance information she gave." Carol pointed to her computer. "I asked more questions than usual. If the card she gave me isn't valid, I'll still have a way to bill her."

"Thanks, Carol." Cameron shook her head. "There's something definitely fishy about her and her wound."

Carol nodded. "Are we almost done for the day?"

The waiting room was empty. It was four-forty-five.

"Yes. It's been a busy day. Why don't you head on home and put your feet up for a while before Seth gets home?"

"Thanks. I will." She turned off the computer and took her purse from a drawer. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye." Cameron lingered for a few minutes after Carol left just in case another patient showed up, but finally she too put everything away, and headed over to the diner.

She'd just walked in the door when her phone rang. It was House. She hit talk. "Hi. You still at the hospital?"

"Yes. But I'll be leaving in a few minutes. Gardenias."

"What about them?"

"That's the scent that set off Nora's fainting spells."

Cameron grinned. "You solved it."

"Finally."

"Well, I may have another puzzle for you, but it'll wait until you get here. See you soon. And congratulations."

She was still grinning when Wilson and Jessica showed up.

"Looks like something good happened," Wilson stated the obvious.

"House figured out what caused Nora to faint, but I'll let him tell you about it. How'd your afternoon go?"

Wilson shook his head. "Nothing yet."

"We went to the library here in Shelby and looked up every teaching hospital within a hundred mile radius," Jessica smirked. "You'd be surprised how many there are. Well, I was."

"If there are that many, you're bound to find one that's looking for a world-class oncologist."

"Maybe." Wilson gave one of his Eeyore looks.

"Oh, Wilson." She pursed her lips. "If House were here he'd bet you that by this time next week you'd have a bunch of offers. As a matter of fact, I'll bet just that." She hesitated. "Um, fifty dollars."

Wilson laughed.

"A hundred?"

"Oh, James. You know Allison's right. It's only a matter of applying. You'll see. You don't have to take your friends' money to know." Jessica took his hands.

House breezed in, and Wilson stood to allow him to slide into the booth next to the window and opposite Cameron.

"What's the puzzle?" House asked her.

"Hello to you, too." Wilson said, but House brushed it off with the wave of a hand.

Cameron proceeded to tell him about her last patient. "Both Carol and I thought there was something suspicious about the wound to her hand. Garden shears wouldn't usually make that jagged a cut, and she was acting...squirrely."

"And you never saw her before?" Jessica wrinkled her brow.

"No, and neither had Carol, who's lived in this town her entire life."

House didn't bite at first. "Probably a fight with her boyfriend or husband. Nothing puzzling there."

Cameron shook her head. "It has to be more than that. I want to check out where she lives."

"You have an address?" Jessica was in.

But Wilson shook his head. "Whatever happened to her, it's none of our business."

The two women sneered at him.

House caught Linda's attention and pointed to his coffee mug. She was there in a flash to fill it.

Cameron asked her, "Do you know an Angela Mancini?"

Linda's eyes narrowed and she shook her head. "Doesn't ring a bell. In fact, I don't know anyone named Mancini in Shelby."

They told her what they wanted to eat and she went off again.

"If Linda never heard of her, she can't have lived here long," Cameron said.

Jessica nodded. "If she does at all."

House looked toward the ceiling, then focused on Cameron. "Okay, we'll go check out her address. After we eat."

"Of course." She smiled sweetly at him. "Tell Wilson and Jessica how you solved the enigma of Nora's fainting spells."

"What caused them?" Wilson asked.

"Gardenias. Or rather the scent of them."

"Strong scent," Jessica said.

"A neighbor brought her a bouquet, and there was a perfume card in a magazine she was reading at the hospital." House sat back with a smug look on his face.

"Sure took you long enough." Wilson had to burst his bubble.


	77. Chapter 77

I'm back from my fabulous trip. I didn't have a chance to write while I was away, but I now I've got a new chapter for you.

Chapter 77.

While House, Cameron, Wilson and Jessica ate their dinners, they continued to chat on and off about all that happened that day.

"Pete has strep," Cameron dropped into a short silence.

"Poor guy," Jessica said. "After his cancer scare, too."

Cameron nodded. "I'm just glad he came into the clinic today. A course of antibiotics will clear up the infection."

"If he'll rest the way he should." House frowned. "You know Pete. Can't keep him down. Even when he was ill along with everyone else last June, it was hard to prevent him from going fishing every day."

By then they'd finished eating. Wilson and House each had a slice of pie, but they ate those quickly and were ready to head out and investigate Mrs. Mancini.

Wilson insisted on driving, and House on riding shotgun.

"She lives near the high school, on Meadow," Cameron said. "Number three forty-five, based on the info she gave Carol."

It wasn't hard to find Meadow Lane, a tree-lined street of modest one- and two-story houses. The problem was, the house numbers jumped from three forty-one to three forty-nine.

"Maybe there's another Meadow? Or the number's wrong?" Wilson drove up and down the street twice.

"Why would the numbers jump like that?" Jessica asked. "There's no empty lot between the two houses."

"Now what?" Wilson had reached the end of the street again, across from a park.

Cameron bit her lower lip. "Angela Mancini is more of a puzzle than I thought at first. Carol took all of her insurance information. Maybe we can get a lead from that." She noticed that House had his phone out. "Who are you calling?"

"I'm just googling the elusive Angela." He turned to face her. "Nothing. No Facebook or other social media accounts. There are lots of Angelo Mancinis, but no Angela."

"Not good." She frowned. "I'll do some more digging tomorrow. Meanwhile, I'm ready to call it a night."

"Me too," Jessica said.

Wilson nodded. "Guess I'll be spending much of tomorrow applying to teaching hospitals for a job."

"Something will turn up," Cameron assured him.

The next morning, House and Cameron woke later than usual. "I won't have time for more than coffee and toast," she said. "Want to get to the clinic early so I can pursue my search for all I can find about Angela."

House nodded, but his mind seemed to be on something else.

"House?"

"Wish I were on better terms with the staff at Hopkins." He shrugged. "But they won't need me to grab Wilson once they know he's available."

"That would be great, wouldn't it? He and Jessica would be nearby." She grinned. "He's bound to apply there, don't you think?"

"Maybe."

As they drove to the diner, House's phone played Wilson's ringtone. Cameron answered for him. "Were your ears ringing? We were just talking about you. What's up?"

"Cullen called. They found Butler and brought him in. He wants me back in Princeton to make an ID. We'll probably be back in a couple of days, though. Meanwhile, I've made a list of places to apply."

"Hope Johns Hopkins is in on there," Cameron said.

"At the top. Is that what you were talking about?" Wilson asked.

Cameron nodded then realized he couldn't see her. "It has an excellent oncology department, too."

"Yeah, that's why it's the highest on my list. We'll keep in touch, let you know what happens with Cullen and the job search."

"Great. Bye." Cameron stared at the phone after the call ended. "Sounds like he's got a more positive attitude than he did at times yesterday."

"I never doubted he'd be okay." House pulled into the diner parking lot.

When House arrived at his office, Magnani was waiting for him.

"My doctors released me this morning. I'm ready to get back to work."

"Have you told the rest of the team?"

The young doctor shook his head. "I was hoping you'd okay my being back on the team first."

But before House could say anything, Simpson, Jacobs and Hadley entered. Jacobs grinned when she saw Magnani and then rushed over and hugged him. "You're looking good."

"Thanks. Um, feeling much better." He smiled at her.

But Hadley frowned. "Guess this means I'm headed back to New Jersey."

"Maybe you can get a job here," Simpson said, a hint of hope in his voice.

Hadley smirked. "I don't think your boss would be too happy with that."

House shrugged. "I have no objection to you working for someone else. Just don't interfere in our cases."

Magnani blinked. "Does this mean I'm back on the team?"

"Was there ever any doubt?" Jacobs looked from him to House.

House worked his mouth as if he wasn't quite sure, then rolled his eyes. "Of course you are. What are you all doing standing around here? Go find our next patient."

It wasn't long before the team returned to House's office with a file for a new patient. House smiled, noticing that Thirteen wasn't with them, although he hoped she'd find another job quickly. Here at Snow Hill or somewhere else didn't really matter to him. "What've you got?" He reached out for the file.

"Not exactly the kind of puzzle you like, but still intriguing," Jacobs said.

Cameron rushed to the clinic after her coffee and toast. She immediately sat down at her computer to look for a trace of Angela Mancini. None of the information the woman gave them had panned out. The sound of Carol entering drew Cameron to the waiting room of the clinic. "Have you verified Angela's insurance yet?"

Carol shook her head. "The numbers on her card don't match anyone the insurance company has in their system."

Cameron grimaced. "Her address, phone number, even her social security number are bogus."

"Do you think she'll dare to return for a follow-up visit?"

"I doubt it. Guess we chalk it up to a bad debt. Even if we'd taken a credit card for a co-payment, I bet that would be phony too."

"So we'll never know how she got that gash in her hand?" Carol frowned. "We should have been even more suspicious."

"We did all we could to confirm who she was." Cameron wrapped her hands around Carol's arms. "That's all we could do. Don't worry about it. This is a clinic. Quite a few of our patients don't have insurance and can't pay."

Naomi arrived. Seeing the looks on Carol and Cameron's faces, she asked, "What happened?"

"Remember that patient yesterday, Angela Mancini?" Carol swallowed. "All the info she gave us was fake."

"Oh, no." Naomi pursed her lips. "And here I was feeling sorry for her."

"We'll just chalk it up to a learning experience," Cameron said. "No matter how careful we are, if someone wants to avoid our knowing who they really are and whether or not they can pay, they can find a way."

"Yes. Allison just reminded me this is a clinic. Not everyone pays."

Naomi nodded. "So, what do you want me to do today?"

The first patient of the day walked in, and they got to work.

There was never a question about Jessica accompanying Wilson to Princeton, and he was glad of that. She'd been there for him through his injuries in the explosion and the period after his surgery.

"What time did you tell Cullen we'd be there?" she asked.

"About two. That'll give us plenty of time for the drive and even for a stop for lunch."

She sighed. "I'm glad the whole episode will finally be over."

As they passed Baltimore, he said, "It would be great if we could live here."

Jessica smiled. "After you ID Butler, you can begin sending out feelers."

"That's what I'm planning. I want to do some research, see whether there's anyone I know at any of the places I want to apply. That could help."

They reached Princeton at one-forty-five. Wilson drove straight to the police department.

Cullen was ready for them. "We have a lineup ready for you. Come with me, Dr. Wilson."

Jessica stayed behind in Cullen's office.

Cullen led Wilson to a room with a one-way mirror. Five men were lined up on the other side, all fairly young. Wilson looked them over, but it didn't take long until he spotted a man who looked just like the one he saw talking to Lucas Douglas not long before the explosion.

"Number three," he said. "The man I saw is number three."

"You're sure?" Cullen asked.

"Positive." He turned to the cop. "That's Butler, isn't it?"

Cullen nodded. "Thanks, doctor. You've been a big help. Now we just have to prove conclusively he was the one who set the bomb, but with your statement and identification, we'll have a good case against him. I didn't tell you over the phone, but his fingerprints match those found on fragments of the bomb casing."

"Well, that's more damning than my sighting of him with Douglas."

"Yes. For me it clinches his guilt. We have to build a good enough case to bring to the D.A. Thanks again. And say hello to Dr. Cameron and also Dr. House for me."

"Will do."

Wilson and Jessica left the police station and headed for the condo.

"You'll have to sell this place, won't you?" she asked as they rode up in the elevator.

Wilson unlocked the front door and tossed his keys on a nearby table. "Yeah. Wherever we wind up, we'll find another home. It shouldn't be hard to sell this one. From what I understand, there's a waiting list for this building."

While Wilson spent the rest of the afternoon researching the teaching hospitals he wanted to target, Jessica called Cameron to report on their visit to the police station. Wilson's CV was already polished since he'd sent it with his Utah job application, but he went over it again. But by six, they were both ready for a break. They chose their favorite Thai restaurant for dinner.

They were already seated and perusing the menu when Cuddy approached their table. "I didn't know you were still in Princeton." A touch of anger was noticeable in her otherwise neutral tone of voice.

"I came back to speak to the police again about the explosion."

"I heard you'd landed a job in Salt Lake City." The anger was more apparent.

Wilson shrugged. "It fell through. I'm looking elsewhere."

"You know you can always come back to PPTH once it's rebuilt." It was almost a plea.

He shook his head. "I was thinking of trying my hand at teaching."

"But PPTH is a teaching hospital." The supplication was replaced by something stronger, almost a demand.

"Are you afraid you'll lose all your best doctors and have to start from scratch? I have no intention of staying here." Wilson was adamant. "Jess and I are leaving, and nothing you say could get me to stay."

"So you're not planning to work at the same hospital as House?" she asked.

"No." He wasn't going to tell her he'd already received an offer there and turned it down. "But I am looking in that general part of the country." He wondered whether or not he should dare ask. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I hope you'll give me a good reference."

Several emotions warred on her face, but finally she said, "Of course."

Wilson spent the evening contacting everyone he knew at a teaching hospital in Maryland and Virginia with mixed results. Two said they'd get back to him about any openings at their schools while the rest were noncommittal. He wasn't very encouraged.

"Maybe I should take Cuddy up on her offer," he said as he crossed the last name off his list.

"You still haven't checked out Johns Hopkins or that place in D.C." Jessica placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him an encouraging smile. "PPTH should be your last resort, after Snow Hill even. Isn't there a database of openings at hospitals? I know there's one for veterinarians."

"I found that job in Utah through one." He shrugged. "Guess I'll check it again tonight. Who knows whats shown up on it since I last looked. Right now I think I've had it for the night."

Her smile became a grin. "Hope you're not too tired for a different kind of exploration."

"Sounds good." He pulled her close. "Thanks for sticking with me."

She rested her cheek against his chest, listening to his heart. "It's been my pleasure."


	78. Chapter 78

Back on schedule, so here's another chapter.

 **Chapter 78.**

By noon, Wilson had a new list of position that he'd found in the database he checked. None of them were at Johns Hopkins, but there was one in D.C. that looked interesting. He sent them a query with his C.V. and then went through the list again. Dismissing those in New York and New Jersey for the moment, he picked three more, one each in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, and sent them queries too.

"How's it going?" Jessica came in from grocery shopping and took the cloth bags of food into the kitchen. Once she'd put away the perishables, she returned to the living room where Wilson pounded away on his computer.

"I've sent out four queries. Let's see what they get."

She kissed the top of his head. "Bet you get four offers or at least requests for interviews."

"I just need one. I'm itching to get back to work." He turned back to the machine and finished what he was doing. "What'd you get us for lunch?"

She chuckled. "I don't know why I bought so much. We'll be leaving again tomorrow. You're turning into as much of a food junkie as House."

"Heaven forbid." He laughed.

"They had some of that roast beef you like, so I thought I'd make some sandwiches. Got some sides to go with, and the beer you like."

"Sounds like we should have a picnic."

"Have you looked out the window? It's pouring! Good day for eating lunch in and then snuggling together."

"Now that sounds good to me." He pulled her toward him.

Just before Naomi left the clinic for the day, Angela Mancini walked into the empty waiting room.

Carol blinked, and then signaled Cameron to come out of the exam room. She smiled at the patient from the previous day. "How can we help you, Mrs. Mancini? Or is that even your name?"

Angela exhaled loudly. Naomi was riveted to the spot, staring at her.

Cameron left her patient, who was getting dressed, and came out to the waiting room. "Is there a problem with your hand?" she asked Angela.

Angela's head swiveled so she could look from Carol to Cameron and back again. Finally she faced the doctor. "It started to bleed again this morning."

"Well, let me finish up with my current patient, and I'll be right with you." Cameron pointed to a chair. "Have a seat." No one else was waiting. Cameron returned to the older woman in the exam room and handed her a prescription then escorted her out. "Carol will arrange an appointment for next week, Mrs. Blaine. I'll see you then." She turned to Angela. "Mrs. Mancini, right this way."

Angela frowned but followed.

Once Cameron escorted her in the exam room, she faced her. "I'll look at your hand, but first I want to know what sort of game you're playing and how you had the nerve to come back here. Didn't you think we'd run your insurance card?" She didn't say anything about the phony address or phone number.

"I...I didn't think I'd have to come back." She held up the injured hand. "But this hurts like the dickens and your clinic seems to be the only game in town." She watched closely as Cameron remove the bandages, but her gaze was on the doctor's face rather than her own injured hand.

"What have you been doing?" Cameron shook her head. "My stitches have all come out." She cleaned the gash again, including the dried blood. "You can't use the hand if you want it to heal." She glared at Angela. "I'll stitch it up again and bandage it, but only if you promise you'll keep it still."

Angela looked at the floor. She sighed and looked up at Cameron. "I'm not sure I can do that."

"Why not? I'm not prying, just curious."

Angela checked that the door was closed. "You'll keep this confidential. I mean, you are my doctor, right?"

"Go on." Cameron crossed her arms.

"Would you believe me if I said that I got this," she held up her hand, "breaking into a warehouse? That I'm an FBI agent?"

Cameron stared at her through narrowed eyes. "Show me your credentials."

"I'm undercover. Would I carry those around with me?"

"Okay, give me something. Anything I can verify. Your real name, for instance." Cameron pursed her lips. "You have to realize how suspicious I am of anything you tell me after giving us a false address and insurance information yesterday. I'd think the FBI would have provided documents that weren't so questionable."

Angela sighed. "Fine." She reached for a prescription pad on the stand next to the examination table. Tearing off the top sheet, she turned it over and wrote a phone number on it. "Call this number. It's the office I work out of in D.C."

Cameron suspected it might be the number for an accomplice, who'd verify 'Angela' was FBI, but there was a slim chance she was telling the truth. After all, accomplice to what? "What warehouse?" she asked.

Angela's head shake was slow. "I can't give you that information." She handed Cameron the sheet. "Just call this number, tell them who you are and ask about me."

Cameron took out her cellphone and punched in the number. After two rings, a female answered. "FBI Fraud Division, this is Connie."

"Connie, this is Dr. Allison Cameron. I run the clinic in the town of Shelby, Maryland. I'm calling about a woman who calls herself Angela Mancini. There's been an accident."

The woman's voice rose an octave, "Oh, no! Is she all right?"

"She will be. Is there anyone else I should notify?" Cameron watched 'Angela's' face as she spoke.

"I'll take care of that. Is she in the hospital or something?"

"No. She's sitting in my examination room. I will need some insurance information, though, so my staff can process a claim for our treatment."

"Of course. Um, just a minute."

Cameron could hear voices in the background, but then Connie returned to the phone. "I hope you'll treat this information with utmost confidentiality." She rattled off the group and patient ID, which Cameron jotted down on the same sheet of paper that held the phone number.

"And the name?" she asked.

"Anna Morrow."

"Thank you." Cameron ended the call. "So, Anna, let's get this hand treated."

Angela/Anna grimaced. "I'm sorry for the subterfuge."

But Cameron didn't comment as she completely cleaned and restitched the gash.

House was half-asleep at his desk when his phone played Cameron's ringtone. He had a good idea why she was calling. "So, who is she really?"

Cameron giggled. "FBI agent Anna Morrow."

"You'd think the FBI would avoid what inept criminals do, change their names, but not their initials."

"Maybe that's why they did it. No one expects them to."

"So, why's she in Shelby?" he asked.

"She's investigating a warehouse, but she didn't say which one. There was just so much she was willing to share."

"Not many of those in Shelby, though. We could probably make a good guess by process of elimination."

Her tone of voice changed. "House, I don't think we should get involved. This is big time stuff."

"We've dealt with big time stuff before." He grimaced. "Okay, I won't do anything rash."

"Good. Now that I know who she is, my curiosity is satisfied."

"Is it?" He smiled to himself, knowing it wasn't really.

She hesitated before saying, "Yes."

"How'd she get the gash?"

"Investigating the warehouse. Look, House, let her do her job. She's a professional at it. You're a doctor, not a spy or a detective."

It was his turn to be silent for half a minute. "Will you need to see her again?"

Cameron laughed. "If she persists in pulling out my stitches I will."

"Where's she staying?"

"What? Oh. I imagine at the hotel. It's either there or at the Mosey Inn."

"Check with Zach," he said.

"I thought you agreed to stay out of it."

"She might need a friend in town. Isn't she alone?"

"I guess." She didn't sound sure. "Okay, if she turns up at the diner, I'll talk to her, see if she needs a friend. But that's it."

"Uh-huh, sure it is. Talk to you later, I have another call coming in. Wilson."

"Say 'hi' for me."

He ended that call and switched to his other one. "How'd it go with Cullen yesterday? Cameron says 'hi'."

"I ID'd Danny and gave a statement. But they have other evidence against him. Guess they didn't have to wait for my memory to come back."

"And the job search?" House asked.

"I have four feelers out. House, we ran into Cuddy at dinner last night. She offered me a job, sort of. Wants me back at PPTH after it's rebuilt."

House rolled his eyes to the stare at the ceiling. "You told her 'no', didn't you?"

"Of course. I'm not going back there."

"Good."

"I've put my place here on the market. We'll be returning to Shelby tomorrow. I hope I hear from one of these teaching hospitals soon."

"One of 'em Hopkins?" House asked.

"No. There aren't currently any openings there," Wilson replied. "But the ones I applied to are in D.C., Maryland, Delaware and Virginia."

"So you won't be far away."

"That's the hope."

House twisted his mouth. "Wilson, just because we're here, don't limit your searches."

"I know how I felt, Jessica too, when we thought we were moving to Utah. Close to you guys and her brother is what we both want."

"Okay, if that's how you feel."

"It is. So, we'll see you tomorrow." He ended the connection before House could say anything more.

House stared into space, his phone in his hand, while he thought about the last part of that conversation. How did he feel about Wilson being a short drive away? He'd clearly dreaded his friend moving to Utah, so he should be happy that Wilson wanted to settle much closer to him. He rubbed the stubble on his face and imagined what it would mean. A smile spread across his face.

Cameron locked the clinic door and walked briskly across to the diner. She entered, but before she sat at their booth, she looked around. Anna was sitting at the counter, talking on her phone. Cameron took the stool beside hers.

When Anna finished her call, Cameron said, "You'll find the food here is very good."

Anna smiled. "I imagine you eat here often, since it's so close to the clinic."

"Yes. And also because there aren't that many good places in town."

Linda came over with a plate of food for Anna and said to Cameron, "You eating at the counter tonight, Doc?"

"No, I just wanted to say hello to...Angela. She's a friend, so be good to her."

"Sure will." Linda went off to take orders from other customers.

"Well, I expect I'll be seeing you around," Cameron said. "Just take care of that hand." She swiveled around and slid off the stool, walking the few steps to the booth. No sense pushing things, she thought, just leave the door open for Anna to approach her.

House arrived soon after. She smiled at him and, as discretely as possible, indicated Anna. "I said hello, and told Linda she was a friend, then walked over here."

House smiled back and nodded. "Let's see what she does."

The team entered, and Cameron stood to hug Magnani. "You're looking good." She slid back into the booth and glared at House. "You didn't tell me he was back on the team."

House shrugged.

"I'm feeling great," Magnani said. "Definitely glad to be up and about."

"And Remy?"

"Last I heard, she was talking to HR about a position in either pediatrics or hematology," Jacobs replied.

"So she's staying in Shelby?"

"She hopes to."

Cameron smiled. "I can understand that." She noticed Anna stand and walk toward the cashier's counter. Linda took her payment, and Anna walked out."

"Who's she?" Simpson asked.

"A patient." The team didn't need to get involved in Anna's investigation. It was enough that she and House were snooping around. "Gashed her palm so I had to stitch her up."

"Is she staying in town?" Magnani asked. Both he and Simpson had followed Anna's every footstep, but Jacobs just frowned at them.

This should be interesting, Cameron thought. "I understand she'll be in Shelby for a while."

Linda finally took their dinner orders, filled coffee cups and brought over iced tea. "She seems nice, that new friend of yours," she said to Cameron.

Cameron muttered a noncommittal 'Hmm'. "Bart, have you heard from your sister today?"

"No." Simpson refocused his attention to her.

"She and Wilson will be back tomorrow," House said. "He's sent some applications to places in Maryland, Delaware, D.C. and Virginia."

Simpson smiled. "That's great."

"Bart and Heather told me the job in Utah fell through," Magnani said. "Why doesn't he apply for a job here?"

Cameron felt free to say, "Dr. Meisner offered him one, but he and House agreed he should look elsewhere."

Simpson, Magnani, and Jacob's gaze shifted to their boss. They all had furrowed brows. Simpson blurted, "But it would be awesome to have him work at the same hospital. And I'm sure my sister could get her old job back here in Shelby."

House glared at each of them in turn.


	79. Chapter 79

I thought this story was coming to an end, but in the last week several new story lines came to me, and as usual, I just had to use them.

 **Chapter 79.**

Wilson and Jessica spent the late afternoon and evening packing. "I don't know where I accumulated all of this." Wilson looked with dismay at the number of boxes. They filled his living room.

"I guess you can put most of these and your furniture in storage until we find a new place," Jessica made her way between the cardboard and plopped down on the couch, exhausted.

Wilson's phone rang. Once he extricated his phone, he didn't recognize the number, but the caller ID was that of an old friend, one of the ones he'd contacted the day before. "Dennis? Is that you?"

"Yup. How you doing? I heard about the explosion at your old hospital. Isn't it up and running again? Why're you looking for another position?"

Wilson laughed. Dennis O'Laughlin always spoke a mile a minute. "To answer the middle question first, the cops are just completing the investigation of the explosion. The hospital won't be rebuilt for a while. But even when it is, I don't want to work there anymore. So I'm looking for something else in the middle Atlantic states, either as an oncologist or as a professor at the medical school."

"Well, then, you've come to the right person. Just landed a new job as head of the school at a teaching hospital near Norfolk, Virginia. How'd you like to come work for me?" It was a question, but stated in such a way that it was apparent Dennis wouldn't take a 'no' answer.

"That would be perfect! We're heading to Shelby on the Eastern Shore of Maryland tomorrow. I'm consulting on surgery in Snow Hill next Thursday, and then I'll be free."

"Would you be able to drive down on Monday to talk over the terms? We're building a great team of doctors and other medical personnel and I'd love for you to be part of it."

"Shouldn't be a problem. It'll give us a chance to look around at places to live." Wilson took Jessica's hand.

"Us?"

"My girlfriend and me. She's a veterinarian." Wilson smiled at Jessica.

"Can't wait to meet her, but whatever happened to Judy?"

"You mean Julie? We divorced several years ago." Wilson wasn't going to get into his relationships since then. "You'll love Jessica. Everyone does."

"See you on Monday then." Dennis gave Wilson the address and other information about the medical school.

Once the call was done, Wilson held the phone for a couple of minutes more. His eyes were wide.

"What was that about?" Jessica asked.

"An old friend, Dennis O'Laughlin, came through. He's heading the school at a hospital near Norfolk and he wants to talk about a position for me."

"Wow!" She grabbed his arms with her hands and grinned. "That's...wonderful."

"I'm not ready to count my chickens."

House and Cameron were caught in a tight embrace when her phone jingled.

"Don't answer it," he said nuzzling her neck.

"It might be important."

"If it is, they'll leave a message."

They resumed what they were doing, but his phone beeped. He let out an exasperated sigh. "They're persistent if nothing else." He reached for his cell and answered, "This better be good."

"House, glad I caught you." Will's deep voice sounded tense. "Better come out to the house."

"What happened?" House swallowed and felt his heart fall to his stomach.

"Vandals. You'll see when you get here."

"We're on our way." He dropped the phone.

Cameron narrowed her eyes and furrowed her brow. "What's up?"

Without telling her, he said, "Let's go."

"Where?"

"The house. That was Will."

Her eyes leaked tears. "No!"

"We won't know how bad it is until we get there." He was already halfway up the stairs. "All Will said was vandals."

They took the sports car and zoomed to the crossroad and out toward the Chesapeake. When they reached their turnoff, they could see a crew of men already working. House stopped the car ten feet from where Will stood directing his men.

The house was still standing, but the front windows were broken and the door bashed in.

"What's the damage inside?" House asked.

Will shook his head. "Not as bad as out here, thank goodness. I was afraid they'd taken the appliances or cabinets, but the kitchen's intact. The bathroom mirrors are cracked like these windows, though. Sets us back a couple of weeks."

"But everything can be repaired?" Cameron asked.

"Yeah, with time and materials. We're lucky Pete Carver was driving back from the bay and saw them. He called me immediately."

"Pete? He's supposed to be resting at home," Cameron said.

The two men rolled their eyes. "Did you really expect him to?" House asked.

She shook her head. "Why didn't he call us?"

"Dunno. Does it matter? Point is, he scared 'em off before they could do any more." Will stopped to call to one of the men. "Clean the glass out of the frame, Donny, but be careful you don't cut yourself."

"How much is this going to add to the cost?" House asked, his tone blunt.

"I don't know yet. It has to add to the total for labor and materials, but considering how much you have already invested in this build it won't be that much, maybe another five or six percent additional." Will looked glum. "I'm sorry this happened."

Cameron shrugged. "It's not your fault and you and your men shouldn't have to pay for the cleanup and repairs. Did the vandals leave any clues to who they are? Can Pete describe them?"

Will shook his head. "It's so dark out here he couldn't even tell whether they were male or female, only that they seemed young. They sure took off fast when they saw him." He sighed. "They didn't leave anything behind. I called Anderson, but both he and I doubt he could get any fingerprints, so we started cleanup immediately. Probably just some kids."

"Should we have someone guarding the place at night?" she asked.

Will nodded. "That's a good idea. We'll be out here working during the day, as usual. But this is such a desolate spot, having someone keeping watch once it gets dark would be a deterrent."

"We'll ask Anderson if he can recommend someone."

"Good. It's such a great house." Will smiled for the first time. "I wouldn't want to see anything else happen to it. We'll do some more cleanup now and return in the morning for more."

"Thanks, Will. And thanks for calling us."

"I knew you'd wanna know as soon as possible."

They took one more look at the house and the men working on it and then got in the car to drive back to Edna's.

"Well, that sure killed the mood." Cameron frowned. "I'm just happy no one was hurt and all the damage can be repaired."

"I don't think it was kids," House said.

"What?"

"It was too deliberate. Someone who knows that it's our house wanted to keep us from moving in." House was dead serious.

"But who would do that? Why?" Cameron shook her head. "It doesn't make sense."

"I'm sure when we find out who did it, we'll understand why." House drove the rest of the way in silence.

As they drove to the diner the next morning, Cameron received a call from Chief Anderson.

"We went out to the house this morning," he said. "From Will Davis' description last night and what we saw today, sure looks like kids."

She shook her head. "House isn't as certain. And neither am I. Someone either doesn't want us to move in or is causing trouble for us or Will." A thought occurred to her. "Wonder if this has anything to do with the election. I mean Will's running for mayor and I'm running for town council. Maybe someone thinks this will deter us."

"I hadn't thought of that. Well, I've arranged to have a man out there at night to keep an eye on the place. It's just strange that nothing was taken. Good thing Will doesn't leave any equipment on site overnight."

"Thanks for checking it out," Cameron told him.

They entered the diner to find Anita sitting in their booth. She smiled when she saw Cameron, but the expression faded when House entered behind her.

"Did you need something?" Cameron asked. "The clinic opens at nine."

Anita lifted her bandaged hand. "Oh, no. This is doing fine. I just wanted a word with you." Her gaze shifted upward to House's face.

"This is Dr. House. You can trust him," Cameron said.

Anita took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She shifted closer to the window so Cameron could slide in next to her as House sat opposite them.

"I don't know how much Dr. Cameron told you," Anita began.

"I know enough." House kept his face impassive.

"What do you know about Owen Marshall?"

"Only that he's a big shot around here. He's on the town council," Cameron said.

"We've butted heads once or twice," House admitted. "Why the interest in him?"

"He owns a pharmaceuticals plant here on the Eastern Shore. There've been complaints about the way the company operates, the awful management style, and the lack of quality control." She looked around and lowered her voice as she went on. "There's also a suspicion that the raw materials for their products comes from questionable sources."

"Why am I not surprised." House's voice was barely above a whisper.

"What was that?" Anita asked.

"How can we help?" Cameron asked so he wouldn't have to repeat it, although she was sure Anita heard.

"Just tell me anything you know about him and his associates. My investigation of the warehouse didn't provide any new clues."

"What about the factory itself?" Cameron had only a vague idea of how an FBI agent operated. "Can't you demand to inspect it?"

"We need concrete evidence first. All we have so far is hearsay." Anita pressed her lips together. "I need a way in."

Cameron and House exchanged glances, but he was the one who spoke. "As doctors, we might be able to arrange a tour. My hospital likely uses the drugs the plant produces."

"Yes, and we could bring you along as a member of House's team." Cameron looked at House to make sure he agreed.

He nodded. "I don't think Owen knows who's on my team and who isn't. In fact, one of the members just returned from a medical leave, and the substitute is looking for a job at the hospital. Personnel change frequently."

"I don't know anything about medicine," Anita said.

"You won't have to." Cameron snickered. "I don't know anything about being an agent either but I'll do what I can to prep you."

Before they left Princeton that morning, Wilson had two emails from medical schools he'd applied to. One told him he was overqualified and the other said they'd get back to him in two weeks. "I won't hold my breath," he said, dismissing the second.

Jessica shrugged. "You have that interview next week. It sounds perfect."

"We'll see." He looked around the condo at all the boxes that would be kept in storage, along with the furniture, until they found a place. "House and Cameron are lucky they've found a place and soon they'll have a house, so they can have all their possessions delivered to them."

"That'll be us before you know it." Jessica finished zipping her suitcase and rolled it to the door. "Meanwhile, we can stay with my brother and the rest of the team in Shelby. Bart said Rocco was finally released yesterday, but he didn't know what Remy would do."

He shrugged. "She's a good doctor. She'll find something."

"I hope it's at Snow Hill. My brother's finally given up on Heather, and I think he's shifted his affections to Remy."

"She's, like, ten years older than him!"

Jessica rolled her eyes. "So? You're ten years older than me."

"B...B...But that's not the same thing," he sputtered.

"Why not?"

"Okay, then, she's a lesbian."

"Actually, I think she goes both ways."

"Yeah, I guess so. There was Foreman, after all." He narrowed his eyes. "Why are we talking about Remy Hadley?"

"I think I started it when I mentioned that Rocco was up and working with the team again."

Wilson nodded. "Oh, yeah. Well, this isn't getting us closer to Shelby." He pulled open the door, and they left the condo. After he locked up, they took the elevator to the garage, stowed their suitcases in the trunk, and got into the car. "Shelby, here we come."

House headed for the hospital, promising Cameron and Anita that he'd find a way to set up an appointment for them to tour Marshall's pharma plant.

The two women talked about Anita's role and what she should say, but at five to nine, Cameron had to leave for the clinic. "I can meet you here for lunch," Cameron told the agent.

"I have one more lead I want to check. I'll call you," Anita promised.

Cameron nodded, then left the diner.


	80. Chapter 80

You'll notice I changed Anna's name to Anita. There was already an Anna in this story.

 **Chapter 80.**

House sat at his desk and turned on his computer. A search concerning Marshall's company revealed they produced drugs for arthritis, high blood pressure and chronic bronchitis and were seeking approval for a cancer-fighting medicine for both humans and pets. The manufacturing facility wasn't far from Shelby, and a warehouse, likely the one Anita investigated, was even closer. Both were off the road out to Chesapeake Bay, the same road the new house was near.

Clinical trials had ended on the new medication. Results were still confidential, but House had ways to access at least some of the data and also to find out where the trials were conducted. Although the plant had its own test facilities, it appeared most test groups were in South America. That alone was odd.

He picked up a phone and called the Marshall Pharmaceuticals. "Hello, this is Dr. House from Snow Hill Mercy Hospital. I understand you have a new cancer drug. Is there a chance we can use it for a patient here? She's the wife of the hospital's administrator."

"I'm not the person to make that decision," said the woman on the other end of the line.

"Well, is there a chance I can speak to whoever can make it? Perhaps I can have a tour of the facility where the drug is manufactured."

"Oh. Well, we don't usually give tours." The woman sounded flustered. "Dr. House, you say?"

"Yes."

"I'll check and get back to you."

Now all he could do was wait.

His team barged into his office. "We let Rocco pick the next patient and he's a doozy," Bart said.

House rolled his eyes. "Where have I heard that before?"

"This time he is." Jacobs rattled off the laundry list of symptoms, practically every one in the medical books.

"So why are you here, when you could be running tests?" House asked. "This doozy of a patient is ripe for every test you can think of."

"We have to wait for Ms. Lembach to officially assign him to us," Rocco said. "Meanwhile, we're reporting in and then we'll prioritize all those tests." He rubbed his hands together. "Nothing like a good case to get me back in the groove."

They were still jabbering away at each other when they filed into the conference room. Watching them, House smiled.

Cameron had just finished with a patient when her phone rang. A glance at her cellphone showed Chief Anderson's direct number. "Hello?"

"Dr. Cameron, would you have time to meet me out at the construction site?"

"What, now?"

"If it's convenient," said Anderson.

"Um, I seem to be between patients, but I shouldn't be away for long. Is this about the vandalism?"

"Yes."

"Will and his crew should be out there."

"I want to talk to him too."

"I can be there in about fifteen minutes," she said.

She stopped to let Carol and Naomi know where she was going, then realized she didn't have a car to drive out to meet Anderson, so she called him back. "You'll have to pick me up at the clinic," she told him. "I don't have transportation."

"Good thing I hadn't left the office yet. I'll pick you up in five minutes." He rang off.

Cameron took the time to bring Carol notes to add to the files of the patients she'd examined that morning. Then she waved to the two women and went out to the parking lot to wait for the chief. He pulled up in front of the clinic and she got in.

"It was dark when we were out there last night," she told Anderson. "Do you think we can find clues to who did this now? Will's staff cleaned up the broken glass."

"I want to check tires tracks in the area. The glass might not have yielded fingerprints but they made no effort to cover up the tracks in the mud from their vehicle. Just need to eliminate legitimate ones." He turned down the lane but parked well back from the space in front of the house.

Will stopped measuring a pane of glass and walked over as they got out. He shook Anderson's hand and then Cameron's then pointed to the ground nearby. "Those are from my truck and the set next to them are my guys."

"We were in a sports car when we came out last night," Cameron added. "Do you think they might have come in a car?"

While Anderson and Will examined the ground, Cameron surveyed the clean-up progress. Will noticed and smiled. "We can be back on schedule by next week, as long as it doesn't rain and we get the replacement glass."

Anderson nodded. "Place is looking good. Bet you can't wait until you move in."

"We've had other things keeping us busy but, yeah, we can't."

Will had stopped at a spot off to the side. "What about that?" He pointed down.

Anderson grinned when he saw the tracks. "I'll call my casting team."

"No need," Will said. "We can do it for you." He called over Seth Davis. "Seth, we'll need a plaster cast of those truck treads."

"Sure thing. Hi, Doc."

"Hi, Seth."

He smiled at her. "Carol told me she's training someone to sub for her when the baby comes."

"Yes. I also told her she can come back to work whenever she's ready but shouldn't worry about the office while she was gone."

He went off to take impressions of the tracks.

"We haven't touched the inside of the house yet," Will told Anderson. "Thought you might want to look at it."

The chief nodded. "We're more likely to get prints from in there than from the window glass shards."

Cameron followed Anderson inside. "Will said the bathroom mirrors were the most damaged."

"Looks like they didn't touch the kitchen." Anderson walked from room to room until he reached the first of the bathrooms. "Yeah, I see what he means." He bent to examine some of the glass on the floor, then turned his attention to the faucets. And smiled. "Looks like a partial on this metal." He pulled out a specimen envelope and slipped it over the right faucet handle. "I'll have to have one of my men remove this so our lab can try to get enough from this to match it."

Wilson and Jessica didn't reach Shelby until four in the afternoon. They went first to the clinic, but Carol told them Cameron had to leave for a short time.

"Tell her we're at the diner," Wilson said.

"Sure thing."

They drove the short distance. The diner was relatively empty when they arrived. Linda waved at them when they sat at House and Cameron's booth.

A woman at the counter looked at them with wide eyes and raised brows. She said something to Linda, who smiled and nodded before heading for the booth to pour coffee for Wilson.

"Who's that?" Jessica asked the waitress.

"She's a new friend of Doc Cameron's. Staying here at the motel for a while, but I'm not sure what she's doing in Shelby. Doc had to bandage her hand coupla days ago. You want your usual iced tea?"

Jessica nodded. "Thanks. That would be great."

"Cameron will tell us who she is," Wilson said.

"Why was she surprised to see us, though?"

"I guess people expect to see House and Cameron here. If they don't know we're their friends, they wonder how we dare to sit here."

Jessica laughed. "I'm surprised Linda or Mo haven't installed a plaque stating this is their booth." She stood and walked to the woman. "Hi, I'm Jessica Simpson. Jimmy and I are friends of House and Allison's. Would you like to join us? She should be here before too long."

The woman hesitated, biting her lower lip, but eventually slid off the stool and took her glass with her to the booth. Before she sat she said, "I'm Angela Mancini." She held up her hand. "Dr. Cameron patched me up the other day."

"Yes, Linda told us," Wilson said, but now that Angela was there, he didn't know what to say to her.

Jessica wasn't as reticent. "Jimmy used to work with them in New Jersey," she told Angela.

"It seems like a different lifetime," he said.

"You're a doctor?" Angela asked.

"An oncologist. Next week I'll be operating on a patient at Snow Hill Mercy where House works."

By the time Cameron arrived a half hour later, he and Jessica had told Anita all about themselves, but they hadn't learned a thing about her besides the fact that she was only in Shelby for a short time. Wilson had gone through two cups of coffee and the two women were on their second iced teas.

Wilson and Jessica stood to hug Cameron.

"I see you met An...Angela."

Jessica nodded. "You don't mind that we asked her to join us, do you?"

Cameron shook her head then smiled. "I'm glad you did." She sat with Wilson on one side of the booth allowing the other two women to take the side she usually used. They could rearrange when House arrived.

But the next to show up was Remy Hadley. She let out a big sigh. "I hope your job hunt is going better than mine. I thought I'd proven to the doctors at Snow Hill I was a good doctor, but the people in HR told me there were no openings."

"Who'd you talk to?" Cameron asked, remembering the way House had clashed with the HR director.

"A woman named Sheila Lancaster."

Cameron nodded. "That explains it. She's bad news. You should approach Dr. Meisner's secretary directly. Lembach will find something for you."

"I'll talk to her tomorrow." She suddenly noticed the stranger in the booth. "Hi. I'm Remy Hadley. Dr. Hadley." She smiled. "I hope you're planning on staying in Shelby."

Cameron didn't know how to dissuade Remy.

"I'm Angela. Just here for a few days." But a sparkle appeared in her eyes that hadn't been there before.

Jessica frowned and looked at Wilson, who smirked.

House chose that moment to appear. "Well, well, well. Isn't this an incongruous crew."

Wilson and Cameron stood to let him in and pulled over a chair for Hadley. At the same time, Chrissy came by to tell them the special for that night was beef stroganoff. The men and Jessica ordered that, but Cameron, Hadley and Anita ordered roasted chicken.

"We just told Remy to ask Lembach to find her a job at Snow Hill," Cameron told House.

"Having trouble with Lancaster?" House grinned at his former duckling.

"I gather that's not uncommon." Hadley grinned back.

He turned his attention to Anita. "We're all set for a tour tomorrow."

"Thanks."

"Remember, I have to be back here in time for my speech tomorrow evening," Cameron said.

"Is this another one for the election?" Jessica asked.

"Yes. Even though the one Wednesday evening went well, I'm still a bit nervous."

"Election?" Anita asked.

"I'm running for town council."

"The council Owen Marshall's on?" Anita studied her through narrowed eyes.

"Yes."

House abruptly changed the subject. "How's the job hunt going?" he asked Wilson.

"I have the interview on Monday and still haven't heard from a couple of places I applied. But if they're anything like the ones who have replied, it's going to be harder than I thought."

"They'd all be nuts not to hire you," Cameron said.

The team traipsed in and said hello. They didn't seem to notice Anita, only that the booth was crowded. "We'll find another booth," Jacobs said.

"I'm going to talk to my brother for a few minutes, but I'll be back," Jessica said and left to join them.

Anita watched her go.

House sensed that Anita was trying to figure out the relationships and dynamics among the people. "Don't bother," he told her. "Not important."

"Sorry. You're right. It's not as if I'll be here long enough that it'll matter to me."

"What are you doing here?" Hadley asked. "I mean, if you're willing to tell me."

"Let it be, Thirteen."

Hadley's gaze shifted to House. She lifted one eyebrow as Jessica returned.

A phone jangled and a few of them checked. It was Anita's. "I'll have to take this." She stood and walked toward the cash register where no one could hear her.

"Okay, tell." Wilson indicated her with his chin.

"There's nothing to tell," but Cameron's voice was high-pitched.

"Cameron fixed a gash in her hand. End of story." House was much better at hiding the truth.

Still, Wilson rolled his eyes. "What's she, a spy or something?"

Cameron shrugged. "She's a new friend and I'm trying not to pry." Emphasis on the word 'I'.

But they all watched Anita's expressions and body language that told them she wasn't at all happy with what the person on the other end of the call was saying. She returned to the booth, but didn't sit down. "I'm afraid I have to go. It was nice meeting you." The last was meant to include Wilson and Jessica, but her eyes were on Hadley.

Hadley smiled. "A pleasure. Hope we'll see you again."

Anita sighed. "We'll see." She left the diner.


	81. Chapter 81

So glad you're enjoying this story. I'm having fun writing this part.

 **Chapter 81.**

Chrissy brought their food, but wasn't sure what to do with the sixth plate that had been meant for Anita.

"I'll take it," House said to no one's surprise.

"Rachel told me about your house. I'm so sorry," the teen said.

"What about it?" Jessica asked.

Cameron frowned. "It was vandalized last night."

"Mostly broken windows," House said around a mouthful of meat.

"I went out there to meet Chief Anderson today." Cameron forked up some food but didn't put it into her mouth until after she said, "He was looking for clues to who did it."

House raised an eyebrow at her.

She chewed and swallowed. "I would have told you, but I was busy and since he found very little, I thought it could wait until now."

"But why would anyone want to damage the house? Do they think it was kids?" Jessica asked.

"The ones I know wouldn't do anything like that," Chrissy said in defense of all teens.

"It might have had something to do with the election." House swallowed. "With both Will and Cameron running, it might have been a way to distract them and their campaigns."

"Except it won't." Cameron was adamant. "Neither Will nor I will be intimidated or diverted. Whoever did this, for whatever reason, we'll find out and make sure they pay."

"If we can help in any way," Jessica offered.

"You have other things to work on, like finding Wilson a job and then one for yourself."

"It'll happen."

"So this guy you're interviewing with..." House blew out his cheeks.

"I knew him before I met you," Wilson replied to the unspoken question. "We weren't really friends, but he and I worked in the same hospital and had lunch together from time to time. Honestly, I haven't followed his career."

"Obviously he's followed yours."

"Yeah." Wilson got a faraway look in his eyes. "I've been wondering about that. How did he know I was looking for a job?"

"We should google him and see what he's been doing before he got this job," Jessica said.

Wilson nodded. "I plan to, but you can help." He smiled at her.

House had finished his plate of food and started on Anita's, but she rushed back in and sat again. He didn't even look sheepish as he pushed the plate toward her.

"Sorry I left so abruptly, but I'm glad you're all still here." She divided the food on her plate in half and forked one part onto House's plate. "You look hungry." She chuckled.

"Can we help with something?" Cameron asked. "Besides the tour tomorrow."

Anita nodded. "I gather the three of you are looking for jobs," she said to Wilson, Jessica and Hadley.

They confirmed her assumption.

"I've been authorized to enlist help from some locals."

"We're not from around here," Hadley said. "I've only been here a couple of weeks helping House out while one of his staff was on sick leave."

"And I've lived here, on and off, a little longer, but I'm not exactly local," Jessica added.

"All the better. That makes you prime candidates for what I need done. House arranged a tour of Owen Marshall's pharma plant for tomorrow and I'll be able to see for myself how it operates, but I need someone on the inside."

"You want one or more of us to apply for a job there." Hadley's eyes gleamed. "To spy on them?"

"Something like that." Anita narrowed her eyes. "Are you saying you'll do it?"

"Sure." Hadley looked at Jessica. "You should do it too."

"I don't know. It could be dangerous."

"Where's your sense of adventure?"

Jessica looked at Wilson. "Jim? Do you think I should do it?"

"First I want to know what Angela's game is."

Anita looked around to make sure no one was close enough to hear what she said. "Dr. House and Dr. Cameron know my name is really Anita."

"She's FBI," House said. "Investigating Marshall's company."

"So if we're caught snooping around we could be hurt or even killed." Jessica frowned.

"Jessica? Is that your name? Yes, I won't deny that helping me could be perilous." Anita shrugged. "But if you don't want to do it, I'll understand."

"Well, I'm in," Hadley said. "Do I use my own name when I apply for a position?"

"You're a doctor, right? We'll have to see whether they have any positions for doctors in their clinical trial program. They've been getting drugs approved that have caused illness and death, so learning more about their culture surrounding those trials would be very helpful for any charges we bring against them."

Jessica swallowed even though she didn't have any food in her mouth. "I'm a veterinarian. Do they manufacture medications for animals?"

"I don't know, but I'll find out. So, you'll do it?"

Reluctantly, Jessica nodded.

"Now we know what to ask about during our tour tomorrow," Cameron said. "Wonder if they'll show us where they test their drugs."

"Even if they don't, we can question them about how they get approvals." Anita smiled. "Thanks, everyone, for your help. That call before was from my usual partner. He was hospitalized yesterday with a burst appendix. They operated last night, and he's doing well, but he certainly can't be here to assist me."

"I wondered why you were investigating Marshall's business alone." Cameron's curled in a half smile. She looked at the others. "We're glad to help."

Wilson nodded. "This sort of caper is right up House's alley."

House's eyebrows shot up. "And what part do you plan to take in this?"

"Someone has to be a backup or drive the getaway car or something."

Everyone laughed.

"After the tour tomorrow, I'll let you know what you should do," Anita told Hadley and Jessica.

They nodded, and Hadley said, "Whatever we can do, just ask."

"The tour's set for ten, so Cameron and I will pick you up here," House said.

"I'll be ready." Anita finally started eating.

The team stopped at the booth on their way out. "See you three later." Jacobs smiled at Wilson, Jessica and Hadley.

Once they left, Wilson explained to Anita, "We're staying at the house they've rented."

"And that's Dr. House's team?" she asked.

Cameron decided there was no harm in explaining. "The tall blond man is Bart Simpson, Jessica's brother, the woman is Heather Jacobs, and the other man is Rocco Magnani. He was injured and hospitalized recently, so Remy's been filling in for him."

"I worked for House before, in New Jersey," Hadley said.

"And that's where most of you know each other from?"

Wilson nodded. "The hospital where House, Cameron, Hadley and I worked was blown up recently. The police in Princeton think they know who did it and have him in custody. House and Cameron were long gone by the time the explosion occurred, but we were still there."

"But you weren't hurt, right?" Anita looked from Wilson to Hadley.

"Jimmy was," Jessica said then smiled. "But he's fully recovered."

"That's good." Anita stood again. "So I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"We should be here for breakfast by eight-thirty," House said. "The plants only twenty minutes from here."

She nodded. "See you then." And left again.

Hadley grinned as she watched her go. "Interesting woman."

House snickered.

"Well, she is." Hadley folded her arms. "Working with her will be a great diversion while I look for a new job." She relaxed.

Cameron woke at first light but had to nudge House's shoulder. "We should leave soon."

He shielded his eyes with a hand and said, "Why does morning have to come every day?"

"At least we have something interesting to look forward to today."

He sat up suddenly. "We do, don't we? C'mon, woman, what're you waiting for?"

She laughed. "I'm waiting for you."

They showered and dressed quickly then climbed the stairs. Edna sat at her kitchen table drinking tea and reading the newspaper. "You're up early."

"We have something to do today," Cameron explained vaguely. "We'll see you this evening, though."

"You haven't forgotten your speech tonight, have you?" she asked.

"No, of course not. We'll be back in plenty of time."

Cameron had called Carol to let her know she wouldn't be at the clinic until the afternoon, but to call if there was any emergencies. If they were truly critical she could send the patients to the hospital emergency room.

They arrived at the diner at eight-twenty. Anita was already there. And so was Hadley.

"I just wanted to say Good Morning before you left for your tour." Hadley half-smiled.

"Of course you did," House snarked.

The smile disappeared. "I'm allowed to have breakfast here," she said.

"Remy was telling me that your a diagnostician and that you like to solve medical puzzles," Anita said.

"She did, did she?" House glared at Hadley.

"Well, you do." She glared back.

"Yes, he does," Cameron added. "And not just medical puzzles. He's a good man to have around when you need to get to the bottom of any problem."

"Where are you going with this?" he asked Anita.

"Like I said, my usual partner couldn't be here. I'll need more than folks like Remy getting the goods on what's happening at the pharma plant." Anita's gaze made her habitual sweep of the diner's patrons.

"You want me to help you analyze what they find out?" he guessed.

"Yes. I need someone who knows the medicine involved, but also someone who can scrutinize their findings and formulate results. It'll involve making the connections that'll give us a clearer idea of what violations we can pin on them."

"Why this particular plant?" Hadley asked. "There are several just in this part of the state."

"The number of complaints by former employees and the number of prescription drugs that have caused problems alerted us to the company."

Hadley's eyes opened wide. "That many more than usual?"

"Yes, at least ten-fold."

"What kind of complaints. I mean, if I'm going in there as a new employee, what am I looking for, exactly?"

"Certainly sexual misconduct and operational safety issues, but also where the company cuts corners. There are quality standards that drug companies are supposed to adhere to in manufacturing and testing their products. Standards that guarantee the pharmaceuticals won't hurt anyone. Purity standards. That sort of thing."

Hadley nodded. "As a doctor, I rely on the drugs I prescribe being effective and safe."

"So you know what you want to see."

"Yes." Hadley looked at her watch. "Well, if I want to talk to Lembach this morning, I'd better go." She drained her coffee cup and left.

Anita watched her back with a smile on her face.

"We should eat and go, too," Cameron said as Linda brought their breakfasts.

Twenty minutes later they were on their way. The plant was only ten miles away, north on the state road and then east on a narrower one with almost no traffic. The road seemed to end at a guard station.

"Do you have an appointment?" the guard asked.

"Yes, name's House, here for a tour of the facility and to talk to someone about a new cancer drug." House showed his hospital I.D.

The guard looked into the car. "And your companions?"

"Part of my team," House said. "They're here for the tour, too."

"Their names aren't on the list."

"How do you know? I haven't told you their names."

"Hmm." The guard's mouth twisted into a scowl. "What are they? I have to list them, and they'll need visitor badges."

"Allison Cameron and Angela...um..." He tried to remember the name Anita was using, but all that came to him was, "Merkel."

"Mancini," she whispered.

"Yeah, I mean Mancini."

"Don't you even know the name of a member of your staff?"

House waved the question away. "I don't have time to learn their names."

The guard's scowl deepened. "I'll call ahead to have badges ready for them. It's straight ahead and then to the right where you see the big visitors sign."

As they drove, Cameron asked, "Why didn't you give them our names before?"

"No one asked who would be with me. No harm done. We're in." He stopped in an area in front of the largest building of the complex.

"Not yet," Anita said.

Two men and a woman stood outside an unmarked door and appeared to be waiting for them. House and the two women got out and approached them.

"I'm Dr. Linden." The woman didn't bother to introduce the men, who stood at attention beside her. "If you'll come this way." She opened the door and led them inside and down a long hallway, stopping at a room halfway down. "Wait in here." She didn't follow them inside. Instead, she closed the door. And locked it.


	82. Chapter 82

I've always wanted to include more espionage in this story, and this has given me an opportunity for that.

 **Chapter 82.**

"What have you gotten us into?" Cameron asked, looking around the room they'd been locked in, and then fixing her stare on House.

"Me?" He frowned at her. "Anita's the one who wanted to come here."

"Shh!" Anita held a hand to her lips as she examined the walls, the outlets and light switches, and the single lamp, sitting on a small square table. "They may be listening," she mouthed. She bent to look under the table, then stood and shook her head.

The woman who'd brought them to the room reentered carrying three lanyards, each with a badge dangling from it. "These are your visitor's badges. Wear them at all times. They won't allow you to enter the secure areas of the facility, but they'll verify that you're legitimate guests."

"Do you get many illegitimate guests?" House asked.

She scowled at him, but didn't say anything.

A slim young man, dressed casually in jeans and a polo shirt with a distinctive insignia on it, entered the room. "I'll be your guide today. Thank you, Dr. Linden," he said in a dismissive tone.

"Very well, Dr. Tolliver. They have their badges." She rushed out as if she were happy to leave them, but shot House a glare as she left.

The young man clapped his hands together and rubbed them. "So, I gather you're here to tour our facilities today, and particularly to learn about our recent advances in the treatment of cancer."

"One of my patients, who happens to be the wife of the administrator at the hospital, is valiantly fighting cancer," House said. "I should say cancers, since it's affecting multiple sites."

Cameron narrowed her eyes momentarily. Hadn't they decided the additional lesions were noncancerous? Then again, this was House, laying it on thick in the hopes he would get more information and access.

"Come this way." Our guide led us out of the room and further down the hall to a bank of elevators. "We'll start in our research labs. Our chemists are also doctors, so they have an understanding not only of the properties of certain chemicals, but also how they can affect the human body. As doctors yourselves, you're aware of chemical families that all have similar effects, for instance the statins."

The elevator arrived and they got on. Tolliver pressed the button for the next level down. The car moved silently through the shaft then stopped, and the doors opened onto another featureless hallway. They went to the right to a secure entry. The guide used his card. "Yours will work here, but not for all the labs I'll show you," he said.

Inside, four men and two women in white lab coats and protective caps worked at tables containing test tubes in racks, beakers and flasks, Bunsen burners, and labeled bottles. They stopped briefly to look at the visitors, then went back to work. Pungent odors permeated the room even though an exhaust fan whirred loudly. After the quiet of the elevator, the din of machines was deafening.

Tolliver pointed. "These technicians are developing the next generation of drugs for us."

"Are any new formulations they're working with already on the market," House asked.

"Why do you ask?"

House replied, "I know when patents run out on some, the companies reformulate them so they can get a new patent. Sometimes they just change the carrier or inert ingredients."

"Well, that's not what's happening here."

"Strange." House's eyes narrowed as he focused on one nearby table. "Isn't that a bottle of baronoquin, one of your companies products?"

Tolliver's mouth twisted. "That's only there so they can compare the properties to those of the new pharmaceuticals."

"Uh-huh." House said it in a tone that showed his disbelief, but let it go.

"Why do they need so much protection?" Anita asked. "It isn't as if they're ingesting anything."

"While they're compounding the pills, they don't know what they might inhale or even touch," the guide said. "And of course they want to attest to the purity of what they make. They don't want any risk of contamination."

"Then they should be in a clean room, and we shouldn't be allowed inside." Cameron frowned.

Tolliver didn't seem to have as ready an answer for that as he had for their earlier questions. "Shall we move on?" As they left through the door they'd used to enter, he ran a finger inside the collar of his shirt, as if it was becoming too tight.

"Where are we going next?" Anita looked both ways down the long hall.

"Why don't we go to the room where the packaging is done and the instruction and precaution sheets are inserted." The guide led the way back toward the elevators.

"Why don't we go see the floor where they come up with brand new drugs instead," House countered.

Tolliver's face reddened. "I'll have to verify you have permission for that."

"I was told I'd have complete access," House insisted.

Tolliver picked up a phone next to the elevators and press a few buttons. He spoke in a whisper, as if that could keep House from hearing him not only ask where they could go, but complain about their behavior. When he hung up, he was frowning. Before he could say anything, House said, "So, which labs did they tell you to avoid showing us? Because that's where we're going. And pronto."

"Do you want me to lose my job?" Tolliver had gone from annoyed to frightened.

"Why should I care about your job?" House countered.

Cameron placed a hand on his arm and faced Tolliver. "Do they fire people here that easily? I assume you're very qualified, Dr. Tolliver. We all know how hard it is to find competent doctors. Ask Dr. House about that."

House chuckled. "Cameron's right. I only hire the best and it's not that easy. I suspect that's the case here?"

Tolliver swallowed. "I'm not involved in hiring here. We leave that to our human resources department. I guess they're very picky."

"So, where to next?"

Tolliver blinked. "I really shouldn't be doing this..."

"Oh, you know you want to." House flashed a devilish grin.

The young man seemed to come to a decision. "You wanted to see our new cancer drug, right?"

"Yes. I gather the company's gotten FDA approval for it?"

"Only tentative. There are still a few hurdles it'll have to make it over." He punched the elevator button more firmly than before. When they got in the car, he jabbed the button for the third floor.

"I thought all the labs were in the basement," Anita said.

"We're going to the specialty lab. Access is limited, you understand. I was only given permission to enter it last week."

The elevator doors slid open and they stepped out into another hallway then through a key-carded door to another laboratory, this one with fewer researchers and very different smells.

Anita wrinkled her nose. "Who died here?"

"It does kinda smell like that, doesn't it?" Cameron squeezed her nostrils together. "Probably gases like those bodies release."

The woman closest to them looked up from her work. "Not too far off. We're using hydrogen sulfide and a few other chemicals that form when a body decomposes. I guess we've gotten used to the odors."

"And you're making pharmaceuticals with them?" Anita shook her head. "Those won't be easy to swallow."

"Oh, by the time our formulations are finished, they'll be much more palatable." The white-coated woman smiled. Her badge read, 'Dr. Mabel Moore'.

"Dr. Moore, what kind of tests have been done on this drug?" Cameron asked.

"Oh, the usual. First we tested it on animals we knew had tumors. It shrank them. Then we had a cadre of volunteers test it."

"In Mexico." House smirked.

"Why, yes." She folded her arms. "What's wrong with testing in Mexico? We test where we can get a large enough sample of people to get the data we need to be statistically valid."

House made an unobtrusive gesture to Cameron, telling her he wanted her to take over. "And there are more volunteers in Mexico."

"Yes."

Cameron engaged her attention with other questions, ones Moore would likely feel more comfortable answering, while House drifted away from the group. He looked at the chemicals on Dr. Moore's table, then on toward the other side of the room.

"Where are you going?" Tolliver stopped him in his tracks.

"Oh, looking around."

"Well, do your looking around from over here." Tolliver pointed to the floor between him and Moore.

House saluted. "Yes, sir." He worked his mouth as he started back to the group. "What's that?" he asked, and when they all turned to see what he'd pointed at, he raced out of the room faster than a man with a cane had any right to go.

Everyone turned back, and Moore asked, "What do you mean?"

Tolliver shouted, "Stop him!" to no one in particular, then raced out the door, calling for the guards. "Find that man."

The first man to respond asked, "What man?"

"Tall, lean, with graying hair and a cane. He shouldn't be allowed to reach any of the secure floors," Tolliver replied.

"But we're on a secure floor. From here he can go anywhere." One hand on a holstered gun and the other taking a phone from the case on his belt.

"Make sure everyone's on the lookout," Tolliver instructed.

The guard spoke into his phone, repeating what Tolliver told him.

Meanwhile, Cameron and Anita crept toward a door at the other end of the room. Everyone was so intent on the search for House, they didn't notice the two women sneak out. The doorway led to another corridor.

"You go right and I'll go left," Anita said. "If anyone asks, you got separated from your tour group and you're trying to find them."

"Guess that's better than the usually 'I'm looking for the ladies room', huh?"

"Way better. It's closer to the truth, for one thing." Anita set off in one direction.

Cameron went the other way, passing one after another closed and locked doors. Finally, she came to one that was slightly open. She slipped in. Half a dozen white-coated scientists were bent over their experiments, but one woman noticed her.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was with a tour group in a room just like this one, but now I don't know where they are." She frowned and shook her head. "I'm probably not supposed to be here. Can you help me?"

She frowned. "Tour groups don't usually come to this floor."

"Oh, well, we're doctors and we have special permission to view the latest experiments. Dr. Tolliver is leading the group."

Her frown deepened and she shook her head. "He should know better. What is this place coming to?" she muttered.

"Have there been security problems?" Cameron glanced at the other researchers and lowered her voice. "I wouldn't want to get you in trouble, but have you had any problems?"

"Oh, not with people from outside, but a few of the staff, doctors included, have overstepped boundaries." She pressed her lips together and took Cameron's arm, steering her to a corner of the room. "I think someone's trying to sabotage the operation."

"Sabotage?"

The woman nodded. "We ask for certain chemicals for our work, but what they give us, well, let's say they're not as pure as they need to be, not when your formulating medicine for people to use."

"That sounds terrible!" Cameron feigned surprised alarm, since she suspected that was happening.

She nodded again. "Yesterday, we received a batch of magnesium stearate that smelled as if it had been laced with glucose. Now that wouldn't have been harmful, but it would have a negative effect on how we concoct our product. Thank goodness it was an inactive ingredient but what if it had been something that reacted with our new active compound?"

"So you believe someone is trying to ensure that your drugs fail testing?"

"Yes." She looked toward the others in the room. "I should return to my work. If you go out that door and turn right, you should easily find the elevator." She pointed to a door opposite the one Cameron entered.

"Well, good luck with your experiments." Cameron followed her instructions. What she'd learned agreed with what they'd supposed. She hoped House and Anita had been able to gather more information.

She walked down the corridor toward the elevators. Ahead, Tolliver and House argued in voices loud enough for her to hear.

"How should I know where they went?" Tolliver said.

"Well, you'd better find them if you know what's good for you. They were your responsibility." House poked Tolliver in the chest. "That's my team. I need them."

Tolliver tried to back away with his hands held up in front of him, palms toward House.

"There you are," Cameron said. "I went to the ladies room and couldn't find you afterwards."

"Have you seen Angela?"

She shook her head. "Isn't she with you?"

"No." House frowned.

"We'll find her." Tolliver took out a small communication device and spoke into it in a whisper too low for them to hear.

House and Cameron exchanged worried looks.


	83. Chapter 83

Still having fun writing this story, but I promise not to leave any of the other threads dangling.

 **Chapter 83.**

The elevator dinged, the doors opened and an overweight guard got out.

Tolliver shouted at him, "We're looking for a woman, about thirty, medium height and dark hair, wearing a visitor's badge." Tolliver gave an adequate description of Anita.

Cameron inhaled and held her breath. House winked at her, and she let it out.

"We last saw her in there." Tolliver pointed to the room where they talked to Dr. Moore.

Just then, Anita and Moore emerged together, chatting and laughing. Cameron's eyebrows shot up, while Tolliver glared at them both.

"I'll talk to you later," Tolliver told Moore.

Cameron hoped Anita had been able to get Moore to talk.

Tolliver was still frowning. "Please don't wander off, especially in restricted areas. If you do, I'll end the tour and have the guards escort the three of you out. Do you understand?"

"I'm surprised you won't send us to the principal's office," House said.

"This is no joking matter." Tolliver's right eye began to twitch. "The work we do here is not only sensitive, but quite proprietary." He dismissed the guard, who shuffled off.

"We'll be good, won't we team?" House smirked at Cameron and Anita, who stifled giggles.

Tolliver ran his keycard and pushed the elevator button. This time, he took them to the second floor. The doors off the corridor were open revealing office desks, but at the end of the hall, one door was closed. Tolliver led them to that room. "The computers in here collect the test data and use it to complete the government mandated forms."

"I'll bet," House said under his breath. Then louder, "I wonder if they're programmed to manipulate the data to show positive results."

"Dr. House, our research and reports are aboveboard. We don't falsify any of our numbers." Tolliver sneered, but the twitch had intensified. Nevertheless, he opened the door and ushered them in. He pointed to the first computer in a line of them. "These can crunch numbers at a phenomenal rate, saving the work of several people."

"So you're replacing staff with machines?" Anita asked. "Why aren't you using machines instead of the researchers we saw upstairs?"

"We're about to do that," he said proudly.

"You think computers have the brain power to manipulate chemical compounds and give you better drugs?" Cameron crossed her arms.

"They're not swayed by any personal preferences. We've found that scientists all have their own pet ideas and will do anything to prove them."

Cameron began to plan what Hadley and Jessica could investigate, and how they should present their credentials. She looked at Anita, who had a calculating look in her eyes. They'd have to compare notes on what they learned from staff and what Hadley and Jessica could add to it.

"Are the approved drugs manufactured here?" Anita asked.

"No, we have a manufacturing plant not far from here." He smiled for the first time. "As a matter of fact, we're now gearing up to start production of a new pharmaceutical for diabetes."

"Oooh! Can we see it?" House asked with a big smile and wide eyes.

"I'm afraid that's off limits." Tolliver face said the rest for him: for the likes of you.

"Awww! Pretty please?" House batted his eyelids, and the two women covered their mouths.

Tolliver rolled his eyes. "I'm afraid this is as far as you go."

"Boy, you're sure afraid of a lot of things." House's lips twitched.

"House," Cameron warned, and he shut up.

"Dr. Tolliver, it was lovely of you to show us around today, but weren't you going to show us more of the computer operations?" Anita pointed to the machines.

"There's really nothing to see." Now his mouth was twitching.

House had been silent for at least a minute, and seemed to feel that was a minute too long. "How about some samples?"

"Samples?" Tolliver seemed confused.

"You heard me. If not a sample of the new cancer drug, at least some that have been around a while."

"Dr. House, this isn't a place that manufactures candy or beer or something. No samples." He reached out a hand. "Now, if you'll hand over your badges, I'll have you escorted to your car."

"Well, you don't have to get nasty." House pulled the lanyard over his head and slapped it into his hand.

The women removed theirs, too, and relinquished them. Tolliver took them as far as the other end of the hall where he asked two guards to see them out.

They lagged behind the guards, not willing to wait until they were in the car to discuss what they'd found.

"Very secretive place," Cameron said.

"Do you blame them?" Anita asked. "Industrial espionage is a real thing especially in the pharmaceutical industry."

"What did you ladies find out when you took off before?"

Cameron told them what she'd learned from the doctor who was willing to speak with her.

Anita nodded. "When Tolliver wasn't around, Moore said pretty much the same thing. She wasn't too happy with the way the doctors and the research are treated. There's a sloppiness all around."

"Did you find out anything?" Cameron asked House. "Or were you just leading them on a wild goose chase while we looked around?"

He grinned as they got into the car. "There's something rotten in Marshall Pharmaceuticals at all levels."

Cameron raised both eyebrows when he glanced her way.

"I got the impression even the guards are unhappy with what's happening. They followed Tolliver's orders, but weren't as rough with me as Tolliver instructed."

"Where did you go?" Anita asked.

"I went out the door and walked down the hall to see whether they'd follow. Oh, and to snoop a bit, too."

Cameron snickered. "And Tolliver called the guards?"

"Did you think he'd tackle me himself?" House countered. "You saw the one he called to help find Anita."

"Can we use the guards' feelings to help us?"

He nodded. "My thoughts exactly."

House dropped Cameron and Anita off at the clinic before driving on to the hospital. The first stage of their plan had gone well, but there was still a lot to do.

Carol was showing Naomi more of her computer files when Cameron and Anita arrived.

"It's been quiet this morning," Carol said. "How'd it go for the two of you?"

Cameron smiled. "So far, so good."

"I should go back to my room and report in," Anita told Cameron. "Perhaps I'll see you lunchtime." She left again.

"Guess you can't tell us what that's all about." Carol smirked.

"Maybe at a later date. So, no patients at all?"

"Only one, and we told him to come back later," Naomi replied.

"Him?" Cameron looked from one of them to the other.

"Mr. Marshall," Carol said. "He didn't say why he wanted to see you."

"I hope you didn't tell him where I was." Cameron's brow shaded her eyes.

"How could I? I didn't know." Carol laughed.

"And he said he's coming back?"

Carol nodded then wondered aloud, "Did your trip this morning have something to do with Mr. Marshall?"

"Maybe the less you know, the safer you'll be, both of you." Cameron smiled at them.

The door opened, and they all turned toward it, but it was only Hannah, arriving for her shift. The teen grinned at them all and said, "Hi Mom. Still doing okay?"

Naomi said, "Oh, yes!"

Cameron beckoned Hannah to come into the examination room with her. "Today I'm going to teach you a little about blood groups."

"We learned something about that in biology class last year."

Cameron smiled. "It wasn't until sometime in the first decade of the twentieth century that we learned about the different types and why it was important to know a patient's blood group before we can do an infusion." She went on to discuss the early work in the field.

Hannah was an apt pupil and asked good questions that showed she understood the subject. "How long does it take to determine the type for each patient?"

Cameron reached into a draw and pulled out an EldonCard. "Using this we can determine whether a patient is type A, B, O, or AB and whether they're Rh positive or negative in just a couple of minutes."

"Cool!" Hannah smiled as she examined the card.

The buzzer went off indicating a patient was waiting for Cameron. Leaving Hannah in the exam room, she went out to find out who it was. The sight of Owen Marshall didn't surprise her. "Mr. Marshall, what can I do for you today? Are you ill?"

"No. Actually, I knew you were speaking tonight to the Children's Services League, and wanted to wish you well." The man's smile was more like a sneer.

Naomi's mouth fell open, and her eyes crinkled.

"Why, thank you. I hope you'll attend." In all the excitement, Cameron's had almost forgotten about it, but she was determined to be prepared. "I'm sure you agree we need to take care of all the children in Shelby and ensure they're safe and well-fed, not to mention well-educated."

"Yes, of course," he said, but it was obvious his heart wasn't in it. "Well, I'm looking forward to the election. I hope you'll focus your attention on that as well as on your patients." With that, he left the clinic.

Cameron watched him go through the front door, her arms crossed, and her lips curling into a smile. "Guess I know now why he was here," she muttered to herself. "Somehow he heard I was looking into his company and he was warning me off."

"What was that?" Carol asked.

"Oh, nothing. Marshall was just being his usual bombastic self." She didn't say more, partly because she couldn't and partly because a patient came through the door. Cameron smiled at her. "Hello, Mrs. Peters. Here for your semiannual exam?"

Mrs. Peters nodded, her graying curls bouncing around her face.

Cameron led her into the exam room and closed the door.

The first person House saw when he arrived at the hospital was Hadley.

"How'd it go?" she asked.

He smiled. "We found preliminary corroboration of our suspicions. It'll be up to you and Jessica to uncover more damaging evidence."

"Just tell us what to look for," Hadley said.

He nodded. "And also who to talk to. There are some very unhappy employees at Marshall Pharmaceuticals."

"Good. And they're willing to talk?"

"If you ask the right questions." He noticed how upbeat she sounded. "How'd it go with Lembach?"

"Very well, actually. I have interviews with two department heads this afternoon. But I'll make sure they know I can't start for a couple of weeks. That'll give me time to do a little spying."

Wilson and Jessica drove to Norfolk, Virginia to check out the area where they might be living if the interview the next Monday worked out. Crossing into Virginia Beach they saw all of the ships docked nearby. The rest of the way south, it was more of the same. The naval presence was unmistakable.

"I read that there's a great aquarium in Virginia Beach and beautiful gardens in Norfolk," Jessica said.

"Been doing your homework, huh?" Wilson chuckled. "I also know there's a naval hospital in Norfolk. Don't know why they'd need a teaching hospital in the area."

She shrugged. "Guess that's a question you can ask when you see your friend."

They stopped for lunch at a seafood place along their route, picking one with a crowd of cars outside. The wait staff weren't as friendly as Linda and Chrissy, but the food was good.

"Wonder why Mo doesn't make more fish dishes." Jessica forked up some of his chewy crab cake.

"We can suggest it when we return to Shelby. I think she gets most of Pete's catch, but he hasn't been fishing as much as in the past." Wilson struggled to get meat out of his crab legs. "I forgot how much I enjoyed seafood dinners on the Jersey shore."

They finished off their lunches sharing a huge slice of peach pie.

"We'll have to come back here some time, maybe bring House and Allison," Jessica said.

"If we settle in this area, that's a must." Wilson wiped his mouth with his napkin and sighed with contentment.


	84. Chapter 84

This was another fun chapter to write. Hope it's as much fun to read.

 **Chapter 84.**

Wilson and Jessica drove the rest of the way to Norfolk where they explored the shore and several areas of the city. Jessica pointed to one of the well-maintained but older houses not far from the water. "We'll have to find out the better places to live here."

"We can check that out online. I'm sure some sections are safer than others." Wilson pulled up at a coffee shop. "Or we can ask the locals." They got out and entered the busy place.

"Sit anywhere you want," a waitress said as she walked by with four mugs of coffee.

A table for two near the front window was free, so they took it. The same waitress soon arrived to ask what they wanted.

Wilson was still full from lunch. "Just coffee for me, thanks."

Jessica nodded. "Same."

"What kind?" The waitress pointed to the list on a board posted on the wall.

"Oh!" Jessica scanned the offerings. "Make mine an iced mocha."

Wilson frowned. "I just want regular coffee."

"Sure enough." The waitress left but was back quickly with their drinks. "You new around here?"

"Yes. We might be moving to the area. Any suggestions where we should look for a house?" Jessica asked.

She told them about the different neighborhoods. "If you buy one of the many older houses, have the water and electric lines checked, because some of them are original or from, like, a hundred years ago."

"Thanks." They drank their coffee and on the way out grabbed a couple of the free real estate listings from a rack near the front door.

On the drive back to Shelby, Jessica said, "I could live in a city like that."

"It's much larger than Shelby," Wilson said. "We wouldn't have that same small town sense."

Jessica nodded. "But it's still charming."

Cameron couldn't decide whether or not to leave Hannah when she went to lunch, but Carol and Naomi solved her dilemma by asking the teen to have lunch with them. All four of them traipsed across to the diner together, and once Cameron sat down in the booth with Anita, the other three went on to another booth.

"I had a visit from Owen Marshall after you left the clinic," Cameron sipped the iced tea Linda automatically delivered to her.

Anita frowned. "Do you think he's on to us?"

"It was hard to tell for sure," Cameron sighed. "He talked about my speech tonight. But he seemed to be warning me to focus my attention on the clinic and the election. I guess he doesn't want me nosing into anything else."

"Sounds to me like he knows we were out at the plant this morning." Anita drummed her fingers on the table.

"We'll have to be careful how we play this. If he's watching me, I can't be as involved."

Anita smirked. "But if he doesn't know Remy or Jessica, they can infiltrate his operation without him suspecting you or Dr. House."

Cameron nodded. "We'll talk to them both later. I hope House is telling Remy what we found out and who to pump for more information."

"Where's Jessica?" Anita asked. "I expected that she and Dr. Wilson would be here."

"I think they went to scout out Norfolk since they might be living there in the near future."

Anita flashed a wry smile. "As long as she's available for the next couple of weeks to take a job at Marshall Pharmaceuticals."

"She said she'd do it, so she will."

"Yeah?" Anita narrowed her eyes. "How long have you known her?"

"A few months, but they were a few intense months. We were with Wilson and her just after he was injured in the explosion at PPTH, and off and on during his recovery. She's definitely dependable."

"I'll take your word for that. What about Remy?"

"I think we told you. She worked for House after I did. I ran the ER of the hospital part of the time."

"In New Jersey?"

"Yeah. I wasn't sure about her at first, none of us were, but she's a good doctor."

"And as a person?" Anita asked.

Cameron laughed. "Interesting, I'd say. You'll have to see for yourself. I noticed the vibe between you."

Anita stammered. "Was it that obvious?"

"Don't worry. Anyone who doesn't know her wouldn't have picked up on it."

"As you can imagine, the agency frowns on..." She didn't have to finish.

"We won't tell if you don't."

The object of their discussion listened intently to what House told her about the pharmaceutical plant and the people they spoke to.

"Just stay away from a doctor named Tolliver. I got the feeling he's a company man all the way and would protect their secrets with his life."

"Tolliver," she repeated. "Got it."

"The guards aren't any happier than some of the scientists and other doctors. That can work to our advantage." House tapped his cane, thinking about what else to tell her. "There are several building on site. Tolliver never told us what the others were for, but it might be useful to find out."

Hadley nodded. "Leave it to Jessica and me. I'd say this is going to be fun, but the situation is too serious to play games. At least that's what Anita said."

"You know she'll be leaving after this operation is over," he warned.

"I know. But while she's still here, I'm going to make the most of having her around."

He chuckled. "Just don't blow her cover."

"Oh, no. I'll call her Angela around everyone else, and be careful to hide how chummy we get." She checked her watch. "I promised to meet the team in the cafeteria, but I won't say a word to them." She left.

House wasn't far behind her. Time for his lunch.

The hospital cafeteria was crowded, but House was able to find a seat away from the team and Hadley. He wanted to eat alone and think.

After lunch, Cameron returned to the clinic. The others weren't back yet, so she had a few minutes to think. She also wanted to check in with Anderson, so she called him. "What progress have you made on the vandalism at the house?" she asked.

"Unfortunately, we couldn't get any usable prints from the broken glass," he said. "On the other hand, the tire tracks were more helpful. They're from a brand and style of tire that isn't common. We checked with the dealers in Shelby and nearby communities for the names of anyone who bought tires like them within the last year. The tread was still deep enough to tell us the tires hadn't been driven on much."

"And?"

He rustled some papers. "We've narrowed it down to about a dozen people. We'll check on all of them, but it'll take time."

She bit her lip. "At least you have that lead." It wasn't much, but who knew where it would lead?

"I'll keep you up to date," Anderson said.

"Thanks Chief." She ended the call. Voices in the reception area told her Carol, Naomi and Hannah had returned. She opened the door and called Hannah inside to finish the lesson she started on blood typing. But before she could get far, a patient came in.

The clinic was busy the rest of the afternoon. Just before five, Anita came in to have her bandaged hand checked. "It's bleeding again, I'm afraid," the agent said.

"That'll give my assistant here the opportunity to see what she's learned about blood typing."

"But my lesson isn't finished," Hannah objected.

"You've learned enough. Before I close up Angela's hand, I'll get a sample of her blood. Use the card to type it."

At first Hannah pursed her lips, but finally she agreed.

Cameron gloved up and removed the bandage. The wound wasn't bleeding badly. She decided not to add any more stitches. She took a bit of dried blood and a fresh sample and handed them to Hannah.

Hannah had donned a pair of the nitrile gloves. She took one of the cards Cameron had given her earlier and applied the liquid blood sample. She also tried to type the dried blood, but the card didn't work.

Cameron smiled. "There's another method that's used to determine the antigens and from those the blood type of dried blood. We can talk about that later."

Anita suppressed her own smile. She knew all about getting information from dried blood and blood stains for her investigative work, but this wasn't the time to reveal that.

By the time Cameron finished cleaning and re-bandaging the gash on Angela's hand, Hannah had her results on the liquid sample. "A positive," she announced.

Anita nodded. "That's right."

"It's healing nicely, despite the fact that you continue to use the hand and open my stitches."

"I promise to behave," Anita said, and they laughed. "Seriously, though. It's not my dominant hand but I still have to use it sometimes."

"Just keep it to a minimum," Cameron advised. "It'll never heal if you don't."

"So, are you ready for the big speech tonight?" the agent asked.

Cameron groaned. "I'd almost forgotten. You can leave. I'm going to go over my notes."

"What about dinner?" Anita asked.

"Frankly, I couldn't eat. And don't tell me I've done this before. Somehow the Child Welfare League seems more important than the DAR." She shooed them out the door and pulled up her speech on her computer. Reading it over twice only made her more agitated.

House arrived at the diner at the same time as Wilson and Jessica. "How'd it go today?" he asked.

"We could ask you the same thing."

"I'll wait for Cameron and Anita so I don't have to tell you myself."

"We'll wait for them, too, so we won't have to repeat anything."

Linda brought coffee and iced tea and announced the special for the day was fish and chips. Wilson and Jessica laughed and ordered burgers.

"I'll have the special," House said, eyeing the other two and wondering what was so funny.

Once Linda left to turn in their orders, Jessica explained, "We had seafood for lunch and wondered why Mo didn't cook more fish."

"And that warrants a laugh." He rolled his eyes.

Anita arrived without Cameron.

"Have you seen my other half this afternoon." he asked.

"Yes. I just left her. She's agonizing over her speech."

"She gave it once already. What's the big deal?" House shrugged.

"The big deal is this is another kind of group, one she's more anxious to impress."

House thought about that as the others continued to discuss how wonderful Cameron would be, that she didn't have to worry.

"Guess we won't wait for her to tell the little we found out during our exploration of the Virginia part of the Delmarva peninsula."

"You had seafood," House said, once more rolling his eyes.

"And we scouted out neighborhoods, found a good one close to the medical school." Wilson smiled.

"That's so boring compared to our little adventure," House bragged. "You tell them, Anita."

"As we expected, some of the work being done at the plant is shoddy or they don't have the purest starting materials. Many of the researchers are unhappy and so are the guards." Anita grinned. "There's lots to work with."

Jessica's eyebrows rose. "So it would seem. Did you happen to get a list of openings at the plant? It would be good to know what kind of job I'll be applying for."

Anita nodded, pulling a piece of paper from her pocket, surprising House. "Seems there's quite a bit of turnover. They need both researchers and testers for their drugs. Take your pick." She handed the list to Jessica.

The veterinarian scanned the list and tapped it. "I think I'm just what they need for their animal testing lab. I'll apply on Monday while Jim is in Norfolk for his interview."

"A couple of those positions would be right for Remy, too." Anita took back the list.

"Did I hear my name?" Hadley had just walked through the door with Jacobs, Magnani and Simpson. She turned to the team, "I'll be with you soon, just want to say a word to Angela."

They said hello and continued further into the diner to find another booth.

"I just showed Jessica a list of openings at the plant." Anita gave it to Hadley. "And said you'd have quite a few to choose from."

The smile on Hadley's face morphed into a peal of laughter. "Perfect."


	85. Chapter 85

More for all you wonderful readers.

 **Chapter 85.**

Cameron stopped at the diner to tell everyone that she was ready to go to the meeting. Or as ready as she'd ever be. They argued over who would take her, but there really was no doubt that House would. They left with the others promising to join them before the meeting started.

Like the DAR meeting, the gathering of the Child Welfare League took place at the town hall. A few members were already there to greet them when Cameron and House entered, including Pamela Bradford.

She smiled warmly when she saw them. "Allison, we're so happy you could come this evening. I know how busy you are. But you've already done so much for the children in this town."

House sneaked away in search of refreshments.

"It's my pleasure to speak to you tonight," Cameron responded just as warmly. "I hope, as a council member I can help you achieve your goals to provide for all the boys and girls."

"I know what you did for the Briggs family, and what you did for the children last June when so many people reacted to their exposure to the spraying."

"That was my job. I run the only clinic in town. Most people have to go to Snow Hill and other towns nearby for medical care."

"What would you think about the town trying to recruit other doctors to the area?" Pamela hastily added, "I don't mean to take away your job but so that you don't have to bear the entire responsibility for the town."

Cameron grinned. "I think it's a great idea, one I'd wholeheartedly support."

The older woman nodded. "I expected you'd say that."

"Are you planning to propose that at the next board meeting?" Cameron asked.

"I might wait until after the election and hope we can then propose it together."

House came back with three glasses of punch. "Guess this isn't spiked."

"'Fraid not." Pamela chuckled. She told him about the proposal to bring another doctor or two to Shelby.

"I want dibs on interviewing any that apply."

Pamela smiled. "I'm not sure how that'll work. We might not get any takers."

"Doctors would be crazy to decline to work here. No, I think you'll have more who want to move here than you can use. You'll need a filtering process to make sure you get the best of them."

"What's to stop someone from moving here and opening a practice?" Cameron asked. "It's not up to the council. The town won't be hiring them."

"True." House frowned. "But there still has to be a vetting process that weeds out people who won't cut it."

"You're overestimating the number of people who'll respond to any advertisements." Pamela narrowed her eyes. "You can help, though, by identifying the best places to place notices, either in print or online."

Anna came over to say hello and tell Cameron and Pamela that the meeting was about to start.

"I'll see you later. This discussion isn't over." House looked for a good seat.

Wilson, Jessica and the others arrived as he was settling down, and joined him near the back of the room.

A woman none of them knew spoke first. Mrs. Driscoll was the president of the league. There was a boring business meeting before Cameron's speech, thankfully short, and House almost fell asleep. He did lean back and close his eyes, and Wilson had to tap his shoulder when Pamela introduced Cameron. Suddenly he was alert. He watched the reactions of everyone around him as Cameron took the podium and began her talk.

"It's an honor to speak to you all today," she began. "The work this group does supports and protects all the children in this town, wealthy and poor alike."

She presented her ideas of additional actions that could be taken. "As a member of the town council, I'll make sure you have the support for any efforts that benefit the children of Shelby."

Cameron ended her speech by thanking the members of the league and everyone in the audience for giving her the opportunity to present her vision for the future.

A few asked questions. "How can we obtain the funds needed for what we already do and for the new actions you mentioned?" a man wanted to know.

"That's a great question," Cameron said. "Nobody wants to raise taxes, even if it's for children's issues, so we'll have to look for other sources of money. Shelby has had successful fundraisers in the past, so that's one possible way. I don't think we've tapped all the money that's out there, though, either locally or statewide." She flashed a smile. "There's grant money, for instance. We could apply for one of those that's appropriate for our needs."

The man eyes widened as if he hadn't thought of that.

Cameron handled the other questions in the same quiet but thoughtful way. Finally as the challenges dwindled, she said, "I'm sure you've heard enough from me for today and would rather have something to eat and drink. Madame President, is it okay to adjourn?"

"Of course," Mrs. Driscoll smiled at her. "Ladies and gentlemen, how about a big round of applause to our soon-to-be council member, Dr. Allison Cameron." She led the resounding clapping.

The spread was larger than at the DAR meeting with cookies and canapes, cheeses and crackers. And lots of punch to wash it all down. But Cameron didn't get to have any. Too many men and women came up to her to shake her hand and state their intention to vote for her. By the time she reached the refreshment tables, most of the food was gone.

"I saved you crackers and cheese and a chocolate chip cookie." House came up behind her and handed her a plate.

"Thanks. Of course, you probably thought I'd give them right back to you, but remember, I didn't have any dinner." She bit into the cookie first.

"You done good," he said.

Her mouth hung open.

"You've got crumbs on your lower lip."

She quickly closed her mouth, but wished he had a recorder going to she could have proof of what he just said. As it was, she didn't think she'd ever forget it.

Wilson and Jessica came over to tell her the same thing, but it didn't have as big an impact.

Anna and Pamela joined them. "You must be pleased with the response," Anna said. "I know I am, although I'm not surprised."

Pamela nodded. "You shot down the naysayers but in a lovely way. They won't quickly forget that."

Cameron lips curved down. "You don't think they'll cause me any trouble, do you?"

"Oh, no!" Pamela said. "I mean they were thoroughly impressed. If they weren't planning on voting for you before, they are now."

Cameron left the meeting feeling a glow of accomplishment. The election was still a few weeks away, but she'd begun to think how being on the board might affect her, her relationships with friends, but even more her relationship with House.

She studied his profile as he drove them home. Every time she looked at him, she couldn't believe that they were finally together. "I spoke to Anderson today. They identified the kind of tires that made the prints out at the house and they're following up on possible suspects in the vandalism."

"That's good," he said.

When he didn't say more, she changed the subject. "Do you think Hadley and Jessica can ferret out the information Anita needs?"

"I expect so."

His moods baffled her. What was bothering him now? It couldn't be her running for the board. They'd been over that and he'd said he was proud of her. Wilson was looking for a job nearby, but not too near.

The explosion at PPTH was no longer a big question mark. House's team was working out. Finally she had to ask, "What's wrong?" Not really expecting him to tell her, of course.

"Are you really that invested in doing all you can for the kids of this town?"

"Sure. Why not?"

"Because next thing I know you'll want a rugrat of your own."

She shook her head. "I don't think so. I'd rather spend my time with other peoples' kids. Besides, I've always had the impression you're not keen on having a child."

He hesitated. "As long as you agree."

"Of course I do. We're both too busy with our professional careers to have time to raise a child."

He finally smiled. "Okay."

By Monday, Jessica and Hadley had each put together a resume and CV, based in part on their true backgrounds. Anita met with them at Mo's for breakfast to put the finishing touches on their plan to infiltrate Marshall Pharmaceuticals. Of course, House insisted on being there, too, and so did Cameron.

"I'll apply for the open position in the animal testing department," Jessica said. "I can easily talk the talk about veterinary medicine."

Anita nodded. "Yes, and Remy?"

"There are a couple of jobs, but I think the best will be for the trials on medications for Huntington's Disease," she replied.

"You mean as a researcher or a test subject?" House asked.

Hadley sneered at him. "I mean that I've become a bit of an expert on the illness."

"You'll both be careful, won't you?" Cameron warned.

"Allison, if we wanted to be careful, we wouldn't have volunteered for this," Jessica said.

"Just don't take unnecessary chances."

"Did you tell your brother and the others where you're going today?" House asked.

"Of course not." Jessica seemed taken about by the question, but then shrugged. "I just said I had some things to do why Jimmy's gone for his interview."

They were all quiet for a while, each with their own thoughts about how Wilson would do and whether or not he'd even want the job. No one knew enough about the medical school or Wilson's friend to decide whether it would be a good fit, but seemed to be in agreement that anyone who had a chance to hire him, would.

Wilson arrived at the address he'd been given. The building wasn't the brand-new structure he'd expected. It had probably had another use over the years. He walked through the front doors and approached a woman at a make-shift desk. "Dr. James Wilson to see Dr. O'Laughlin."

"Do you have an appointment?" She seemed surprised that anyone was looking for Dennis.

"Yes, to talk to him about a teaching job at the school." Wilson looked around the lobby. Workmen hammered and painted and shouted at each other. "I can see there's still lots to do to make the place ready. When do they think classes will start?"

"Oh. There've been delays so they say maybe next spring. Maybe summer."

Dennis O'Laughlin had indicated it would be opening much sooner than that. Wilson's hopes were dashed. "Spring or summer?"

His friend came through a doorway partway down the hall, shouting at someone in the room he'd exited. "This is unacceptable." Then he turned and saw Wilson watching him. He couldn't hide his red face or the throbbing veins in his neck. He straightened his shoulders and smoothed his dark gray suit before pasting on a smile. "Jim. So good to see you after all these years."

"Problems?" Wilson asked, pointing the door behind Dennis.

Dennis shrugged. "Nothing that can't be handled." He reached Wilson and shook his hand with a clammy one. "Come, we can talk in my office." He led the way to the elevator, skirting a workman putting up wallboard. "Excuse the mess."

Wilson didn't know how to respond, so he kept quiet. They rode to the third floor and got out. Signs of recent construction were everywhere from paint cans and drop cloths to ladders and toolboxes, but workmen were absent. Finally Wilson said, "The receptionist said you expect to start operation in the spring or summer." It was almost a question.

"If we don't have any more delays." Dennis massaged his temples. "And I'm sorry to say we won't be able to pay staff until then."

Wilson frowned. "Then I may have to reconsider working here."

Dennis looked stricken as he rushed to reassure him. "But if you can help with the preparation, I believe we can come up with the money to pay you...something."

Wilson shook his head. "I'm looking for a permanent position. Something that uses my medical skills. I'm sorry Dennis. I wish you luck, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline before we both waste any more time."

"Wait, wait. Won't you reconsider?" Dennis sounded desperate. "I need you Jim. I promised the investors that I'd line up a prestigious group of doctors to teach. You'll be perfect." He grabbed Wilson's hands and wouldn't let go.

With all his might, Wilson extricated himself from O'Laughlin's grip. "Maybe once you're up and running if I don't have something else by then, but this isn't what I wanted." He turned and rushed to the elevators. He could hear Dennis' footsteps behind him, but the elevator arrived before his friend could reach him. Breathing a sigh, Wilson punched the button for the ground floor. He hurried to his car without a look behind.

He was disappointed, but there had to be something better out there. He'd just keep looking.


	86. Chapter 86

Even more for all you wonderful readers.

 **Chapter 86.**

Jessica and Hadley rose from the booth after saying good-bye and listening to wishes of good luck. "It's good you have your own car today," Hadley said as they left the diner. "It would look suspicious if we showed up together."

"Yeah. I haven't used this much lately, didn't even take it to New Jersey." Jessica inserted her key in the door of her ten-year-old Honda. "Did you want to go first?" she was nervous.

Hadley smirked. "Getting cold feet?"

"It's too hot out for that." It was a clear Indian summer day, not a cloud in the sky. What could go wrong on a morning like this? "No, I'm still thinking about how to sell myself to their hiring staff." She got in the car and started the engine, then waited for Hadley to pull out first. Jessica planned to arrive five minutes after Hadley, so she took her time driving out to the plant.

When she finally pulled up at the guardhouse, she'd composed herself and felt more confident in what she'd do. "I'm here to apply for a job. Where do I go?"

The guard pointed her toward the first building on her left. "Human Resources is in there. They do all the hiring."

She noted Hadley's car as she pulled into a spot four cars away. Grabbing her portfolio containing her resume and C.V., she took a deep breath, let it out slowly and marched to the door marked, "Marshall Pharmaceuticals H.R." Inside she found a reception desk and gave her name and the position she was applying for.

"Have a seat," the receptionist said, pointing to white plastic chairs along a wall opposite her desk.

Hadley was still waiting, sitting in an end chair, but they weren't alone. A man and a woman sat next to each other with an empty seat between them and Hadley. There were three other chairs. Jessica took one and selected a medical journal from a rack on the wall next to her. She hoped that by burying her nose in the journal she wouldn't have to talk to any of the other applicants, not even Hadley. The others seemed to have the same idea.

After ten minutes, the woman was called and sent through a door in the end wall. Less than ten more minutes later, someone came out for Hadley.

Jessica hoped this hadn't been a waste of time.

House arrived at the hospital at 9:30, early for him. No sooner had he settled into his office chair than the team invaded.

"Where'd you send my sister?" Simpson demanded.

"Is that any way to talk to your boss?" House sneered. "And anyway, I didn't send Jessica anywhere."

"Who's that woman that's gotten so chummy with her and Hadley?" The tall blond doctor didn't back down.

"We told you, didn't we? She's a patient of Cameron's, new in town. Doesn't know anyone."

"Uh-huh." Magnani nodded, but his rolling eyes confirmed he didn't believe a word of it.

"Would you believe she's a Russian spy, sent to infiltrate the diners in eastern Maryland?"

"If she has anything to do with you, I wouldn't be surprised," Magnani said.

"Just relax. If Jess or Thirteen have something they want to tell you three, they will." It was time for him to change the topic. "So, how's the patient?"

"The one you still haven't visited?" Jacobs asked.

"You know I never visit patients. They're sick. I don't wanna catch any of their germs."

Jacobs groaned, and Magnani shook his head, leaving Simpson to report, "All the tests have been negative, or rather too many came back positive, so we haven't been able to even come close to diagnosing him."

"Were any negative?"

"Huh?"

It was House's turn to roll his eyes. "If one or two were negative, that would rule out a few things, so we could at least narrow it down."

"Oh!" Magnani slapped his forehead. "Of course. Bart, Heather, I have an idea." Without sharing it with their boss, he led his teammates into the conference room where his dark head, Simpson's blond one and Jacobs pretty one conferred on his idea.

House went back to thinking about more important things.

Knowing Jessica was busy with the plot to discover all the dirt on Marshall Pharmaceuticals, instead of driving all the way to Shelby, Wilson stopped at Snow Hill. He had to talk to someone about the morning's events and clarify for himself what to do next.

House's team seemed deep in conversation in the conference room, but the man himself sat at his desk, eyes closed.

That didn't fool Wilson. He knew House often did that to deter anyone who would knock on his door when he didn't want to be disturbed. It sure wouldn't stop Wilson. His knock was insistent.

House eyelids flew up. "Come to tell me the plan?" he barked. "Oh, Wilson. Thought it was those three nincompoops."

Wilson took a seat in one of the visitor chairs but didn't say anything.

"That bad?" House could always read Wilson's expressions.

"Worse. The gall of that guy. Hiring people when he didn't have the building finished or the full funding in place. Just wanted names to waggle in front of investors." He forced out a puff of disgust.

House nodded. "No wonder you're back so quickly." He studied his friend. "There are plenty more where that one came from. You still have a few irons in the fire."

"Cliches don't cut it, House." Wilson smooth the back of his head. "I don't expect you to commiserate with me. Never been your style. I just needed to vent and with Jessica playing spy, you were my go-to guy."

"Now who's spouting cliches. Look, you still have Meisner's offer."

"I thought you didn't want me working here." A corner of Wilson's mouth went up.

"I don't, I suppose. But I've put up with lots worse. Don't dismiss it from the equation."

Wilson shook his head. "I don't intend to."

"Let's get some lunch and drown your sorrows in French fries."

Wilson couldn't suppress a full smile. "Sure. Why not? I have nothing else to do except worry about Jessica."

As they walked to the elevator, House asked, "Are you more worried about her than about finding a new job?"

Wilson didn't hesitate. "Absolutely."

It was slow at the clinic that morning, and Cameron had too much time to think about what might happen to Jessica and Hadley at the pharmaceutical company. The employees she'd met were nice enough, but she didn't think highly of the management. "I hope they're not given them a hard time," she mumbled to herself.

The morning went slowly, but finally she could escape for some lunch.

"Wanna come with us?" Carol asked. "Naomi and I are going baby shopping. There's a sale at Thompson's." That's what passed for a department store in Shelby.

Cameron had only shopped there a couple of times. "Yeah, sure. I need to do something positive today rather than leave that to others."

The three women piled into Carol's Honda and drove toward the town square. Thompson's was on the east side of the square, a square brick building that had stood for almost a hundred years.

They entered and were immediately assaulted by the conflicting perfume smells and a saleswoman who wanted to demonstrate one on them, or maybe all. But Carol pointed to her belly and said, "We're looking for the infant department."

The woman beamed at her. "Of course. Just take the escalator up to the second floor. Maternity and infants will be on your right."

They escaped and walked to the escalator. The ride up was surprisingly smooth for such an old building. When they got off, a table with women's turtleneck sweaters stood on their left and another with cute maternity tops on the right. A section of cribs and carriages showed the way to the baby clothing and paraphernalia.

The three women spent the next hour oohing and aahing over tiny onesies, toys and such. They even purchased a few for Carol's new little one, but she insisted, "I don't want to jinx things by buying too much."

Cameron vowed to return to the store for more to bring Carol after the baby was born and took note of the things Carol gushed the most over.

A young man standing in the inner doorway of the H.R. reception room called Jessica's name. She followed her summoner down a long hallway to a half-open door. The young man tapped on the door and announced her. Jessica noticed the name on the door was Monica Meerfield.

"Ms. Meerfield, thank you for seeing me today," Jessica said in her friendliest voice.

"Jessica Simpson. Is that really your name?" Meerfield challenged.

Jess smirk. "Unfortunately, yes." She considered saying her brother's name, but decided that would link her to House and they were avoiding that. "At one point I tried to dress like the other Jessica Simpson, but it wasn't really me."

"And you have a degree and certification as a veterinarian."

This time, Jess nodded but didn't say anything.

"What made you think about applying for a research position? Why not work in a veterinary clinic?"

Jessica stuck to the story they'd concocted. "I lost my last job when I had to spend a month in New Jersey with my boyfriend, and meanwhile my boss hired someone else. I like it in this area so I hoped to find a new position here. Anything to help animals, especially dogs, cats and other small critters."

"And you think this job will do that." The interviewer was expressionless.

"Yes, of course."

"What do you know about feline leukemia?" Meerfield asked.

Jessica frowned. "I've treated cats with that condition and it always disturbs me that I can't do more for them. I wish more owners vaccinated their cats and took precautions to prevent leukemia."

"We're working on a new way to provide resistance, but a great deal of additional research is needed."

"Ohh! I'd love to be involved in that." Jessica didn't have to fake her enthusiasm. "How close are you to final testing?"

"Close. We've just received a new focus group to try the vaccine on." Meerfield checked the papers on her desk. "A cohort of ten will receive the vaccine and the rest a placebo, standard procedure for drug testing."

Jess nodded.

"I have two other candidates to interview today to carry out the study, so I will have to let you know."

That was short and simple. Jess almost felt letdown that the interviewer hadn't asked more. Meerfield walked her out. There were three new faces in the reception area. Jessica barely glanced their way as she walked out to her car. She got in, but didn't start driving right away. She sighed, vowing to not think about the job until she heard something. But she was anxious over Jimmy's interview that morning, so she tried his phone. Surprisingly, he answered immediately.

"How'd it go?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. It seemed to be over before it began. I think I made a good impression, but we'll see. More importantly, how'd it go for you with O'Laughlin?"

"Guess we're not moving to Norfolk, Virginia." He sounded more resigned than disappointed.

Jessica sat up even straighter. "What happened?"

"More to the point, what didn't," he said.

She heard a voice in the background saying, "O'Laughlin's a jerk."

"You're with House?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'm at the hospital in Snow Hill. Figured he'd be the most unsympathetic person to talk to. Objective and pragmatic."

"Hey, I'm sitting right here," House's voice was loud enough she heard him.

"I'll give you the details later, but the bottom line is, it was two steps above a scam. Maybe some day Dennis will have a medical school going, but it won't be any time soon. After lunch, I plan to check in on Mrs. Meisner. I'll meet you back in Shelby later this afternoon."

"See you then." Jessica put away her phone but sat there a few more minutes more, staring through her windshield, wondering what they would do next.

"Good idea checking in on Nora Meisner while you're here," House said. "How'd Jessica's interview go?"

"She said it was shorter than she expected, so it was hard to tell. She didn't sound disappointed, though, more...bewildered. Guess that makes two of us." Wilson drank the last of his diet Coke, wiped his mouth and stood. "You finished?"

House looked at his tray. All that was left on it were empty plates and a drink cup. "Yup. For now."

Wilson bussed their table and the two left the cafeteria, Wilson to go to Nora's room and House to return to his office for a postprandial nap.

Nora was alone in her room, sitting up and reading a magazine.

"You're looking well. Where's Dr. Meisner?" Wilson asked.

"Dr. Wilson! It's so good to see you again," she grinned at him. "My husband had some kind of emergency to deal with in the hospital. You know how responsible he is."

"Yes. I hope it's nothing serious." Wilson walked closer to her bed and took her hand to check her pulse. "All set for your big day?"

She shrugged. "I suppose. More important, are you and my other doctors ready?"

"I know I am." He was itching to do something useful that would restore his confidence.

"I understand you're pursuing another position," Nora said.

He shook his head. "Didn't pan out. It wasn't a real job. But I'll keep looking."

"My husband offered you a position here, didn't he?"

"Yes. And I haven't completely ruled it out. I like this part of the state and have friends nearby."

"I'll put a plug in, then. You could do much worse for a boss than my Sandford." She tilted her head coquettishly, making Wilson laugh.


	87. Chapter 87

Our son and daughter in law are arriving tomorrow for a week, so I won't be able to write the next chapter until the week after. Saturday, they'll come with me to a mini comic con where I'll sell my fantasy books _The Crimson Orb_ , _Under Two Moons_ and _A Bite of the Apple_.

 **Chapter 87.**

Jessica didn't know where to go once she reached Shelby. Somehow the diner drew her. And she wasn't the only one. She found Hadley already sitting at House and Cameron's booth with Anita.

"Something tells me you're as uncertain as I am about what happened today." Hadley smirked when she saw Jessica.

She sighed and nodded as she joined them. "It was the briefest interview I've ever had, with little indication of what they thought of me or my chances at a job." She caught Linda's eye and pointed at the empty coffee cup in front of her.

Immediately the waitress arrived to pour. "Fresh pot. Anyone want a refill?" she asked Hadley and Anita.

Anita put a hand over her cup. "If I drink any more of this, I'll float away."

Hadley pointed to hers. "Fill 'er up."

"Any of you want some lunch? It's a little late but we always have fixins for hamburgers and sandwiches."

Jessica made up her mind. "How 'bout a piece of apple pie to go with my coffee? A la mode."

Linda chuckled. "Coming right up." She turned and walked to the counter to cut a piece of pie.

"Hasn't Cameron been in for lunch?" Hadley asked.

Anita shook her head. "And that isn't like her. I'll check at the clinic after I finish my burger."

"What if neither of us is hired?" Hadley's second question made Anita stop and think.

"Guess we'll have to go to plan B." Anita sighed.

Jessica studied her through narrowed eyes. "Which is?"

"We find a way to use someone who's already working at Marshall Pharmaceuticals."

House had only pretended to nap after lunch. Instead, he took each of the current problems and dissected them one by one. The first was a job for Wilson. True, he'd hoped Wilson wouldn't take Meisner up on his offer, but he knew that was selfish. Still, something someone said recently was tickling the back of his mind. It would come to him, probably at some odd moment. Maybe he should call in a favor or two.

Next, the vandalism at the house. Anderson was working on that, and there was little to nothing he could do, but his concern was what motivation had been behind the act. Was it done to distract Cameron and/or Will? Or to get back at him for something he'd done unintentionally. Always a possibility. Or maybe someone objected to construction of the house in that spot. But who? One thing was certain, it wasn't just kids with time on their hands.

He sighed as his thoughts turned to Anita and her investigation of the pharmaceutical company. He was sure she'd find something actionable, something illegal going on there. But putting Thirteen and Jessica in harm's way to get the goods on Marshall and his company didn't sit well with him. Much as he teased his former duckling, Hadley was a good doctor with a bright future. And Jessica. He'd already cost Wilson one girlfriend. He grimaced.

Think something positive, he told himself. The reception to Cameron's speech almost ensured her election. He was so proud of her, not that he'd tell her so. Or maybe he already had. He grinned to himself. Yes, that was one thing that was going well.

As usual, his team could handle the patient, but he wondered when he stopped focusing on medical puzzles. Now he only stepped in after they'd done all the preliminary work. They'd left the conference room. Curiosity prompted him to check on how they were doing.

They had two lists on the whiteboard: possible diseases and those eliminated by their tests. He compared the two lists, noting that there were still some listed as possible that couldn't be if one or two others weren't, so he crossed them off. Then he ran a line through Lupus. Everyone knew it was never lupus.

Rusty knocked on the exam room door, and Cameron started. The teenage boy hadn't been in for over a week, claiming the need to study for his AP English exam and to fill out college applications.

"You're back," she said with a grin.

He nodded. "I passed my exam with flying colors and sent off applications to five schools."

"Which ones?"

"Well, U. of Maryland of course. A couple of Ivy league schools, not that I think I'll get in, and even if I did, we couldn't afford them, but it would be great to be accepted. I also applied to Hopkins, though I don't expect to get in there either. But...I hope you don't mind that I put you down as a reference." He looked at her hopefully.

"No, of course not! And don't sell yourself short." She winked at him. "You have great grades and working here can't hurt your chances. There are scholarships too."

"Yeah, well, I hope so."

"Rusty, I'm glad you're here. As your senior year continues, I know you'll be busy." She'd been thinking how to approach him about this. Hannah, too. "I hope you and Hannah will still have time to work here, but I'd also like you to help me recruit some of the current juniors at the high school for next summer and into the school year after that."

"Oh!" He rubbed his forehead. "I don't know that they'd listen to me."

"I plan to talk to Principal Berman about talking to the junior year class about science and medicine, and all you'd have to do was tell the students what it was like here. In your own words. I'll ask Hannah, too, so it won't just be you."

"Wow. I've learned so much. It was a great opportunity." He pressed his lips together and clasped his hands in front of him. "Yes, I'd like to do that. I'll have to think about what I want to say, but I do want to encourage younger kids."

"Good." She smiled. "I'll let you know what the principal says and when he wants to schedule this. You've been a good student and very helpful. But right now, I have some tests to run and I'd like to show you a couple of tricks to performing them."

By the time Rusty left that afternoon, Cameron had shown him all he needed to know to help her with medical tests she ran at least once a week. She high-fived him as he finished the last one. "You have the makings of a great doctor."

The boy beamed. "I hope so. It's what I've wanted to do all my life."

"I expect your parents are as proud of you as I am."

He shrugged. "My dad hardly says anything to me. Guess you didn't know but my mom's been gone for a couple of years. She's one of the reasons I wanted to learn about medicine, to help people like her."

"No, I didn't know. What was wrong with her?"

He swallowed. "She had a stroke. No one knew why. She was so young."

"I'm so sorry." Cameron frowned. "People think strokes only happen to old people but that's not true. So it's just you and your dad?"

"I have a younger sister. She still cries a lot." Rusty seemed to wave the topic away. "I'm not looking for sympathy. It's just you asked about my parents."

"I'm sure your mom would be very proud of you." Cameron changed the subject. "So I'll talk to the principal and set something up. I bet there are lots of kids at the school who'd enjoy the opportunity to work here."

"Absolutely. My friend Jay is so jealous of me." Rusty pulled out his phone, whether to check for messages or the time. "I gotta go. Thanks, Doc."

Jessica still sat in the booth, nursing her coffee, when Wilson arrived. He smiled seeing her there and slid in opposite her.

"Kind of a disappointing day, huh?" she said, a wry smile on her face.

"Yeah, you can say that. I had a good talk with Nora, though. At least I have her surgery to look forward to." He watched as Linda poured coffee for him.

"Pie?" the waitress asked.

"Sure."

Jessica chuckled. "That's what I had for lunch and it was scrumptious."

"That's all?"

"I needed the sugar."

"Did the interviewer say when you'd hear back?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Hadley's take was that they wanted warm bodies with decent backgrounds, and that we'd both be hired, although she was as put off as I was with how few questions we were asked. The woman who talked to me did say there were two other candidates for my position, and a few other people were in the reception area." She shrugged. "I guess it depends on how many people they're hiring." She took his hand. "What are your next steps?"

"I'll follow-up on the other queries I sent out and keep looking. House says I'll find something, but I'm beginning to doubt that."

She squeezed his hands. "For once, I agree with House. There's something out there for you, and you'll find it. It might take time, but what's your hurry?"

"My hurry is that I'm a doctor, and I need to be doing doctor things. After Nora's surgery, I'll be completely free."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"To be at loose ends?" His brows shot up. "What will I do with myself? How will I occupy the hours? It was bad enough when I was recovering from my injuries and couldn't work, but if I don't have any work to do, frankly, I'll go mad."

Her eyes narrowed. "I'm sure House will find something for you to keep you occupied, some scheme or puzzle to solve. He seems good at that."

"But I never was. Granted, sometimes I assisted him, but not because I took any pleasure in it. My mind doesn't work the way his does."

"Thank goodness!" She grinned. "I don't know how Cameron does it."

Linda brought his pie.

"I think I'll have a turkey sandwich, too," Wilson told her.

"Sure thing."

Hadley and Anita returned. "I just got a text from the plant." Hadley took out her phone to show them.

"You got the job? That's terrific." Jessica smiled, genuinely glad for Hadley. She hadn't felt the vibration of her phone indicating a message, but she looked at it anyway. Nothing. "I didn't."

"Give 'em time," Anita said. "They didn't need as many veterinarian's as MDs. But I'm willing to bet you're in, too."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Jessica pressed her lips into a line.

"So, when do you start?" Wilson asked Hadley.

"Tomorrow. Guess they're in a hurry to do more testing on drugs for people."

Jessica started to put her phone away, but was jolted by a vibration. She looked at the screen. A message from Marshall Pharmaceuticals. She swallowed loudly, then read it aloud. "We've reviewed your credentials and think you'd be a perfect fit for our animal medicine research team. Please arrive tomorrow morning at eight thirty sharp to begin your indoctrination." Her eyes went wide and she gasped. "Anita, you were right." She grinned.

Wilson was happy for her, but it accentuated the fact that he still didn't have a new position. Sure, hers would only last until she had the intel on the pharmaceutical company that Anita needed. He smiled. "That's great, Jess."

Cameron found them all still in the booth. "So, how'd everything go today?"

The women filled her in on their interviews and told her they'd gotten the positions they applied for, but she saw that Wilson couldn't maintain his smile. "Wilson, a problem with the Virginia job?"

"You can say that." His voice was flat.

Jessica explained what he'd found.

"What a jerk!" Cameron said.

Wilson smirked. "That's what House said."

"Where is he?" Cameron checked the time. "He's usually here by now."

Wilson shrugged. "I left him at the hospital."

"So you talked to him? He knows what happened in Norfolk?"

"Yeah. And he said the same things everyone here said, but that doesn't change the fact that I still don't have a job." In that moment, he resembled Eeyore more than he ever had.

And at that moment, House arrived. With some moving around of positions in the booth, he was able to take his usual and favorite seat.

Hadley immediately told him about the success of her interview and Jessica's. He nodded, but didn't smile. His eyes never left Wilson, and Cameron wondered why.

Everyone ordered dinner and then resumed talking, but House didn't say anything, just watched Wilson, a scowl on his face.

Wilson stared into his coffee cup and periodically took a sip.

"How's your patient?" Cameron asked, hoping to snap House out of whatever was going through his mind. She had to repeat it to get his attention.

"The teams on it. They'll figure it out." He waved the topic away.

Their food came. Wilson picked at his, no matter how often Jessica urged him to eat. House gobbled his down, focusing on his plate, stuffing his mouth and not saying a word.

Cameron was worried about both of them. Very worried.


	88. Chapter 88

We're visitor-free for a couple of weeks, so I was able to complete another chapter.

 **Chapter 88.**

As they drove home after dinner, Cameron tried to get House to talk about what was bothering him. "I know it has to do with Wilson, and the job that fell through." It was a guess, but an educated one. "You don't have to be the one to fix it, you know."

"No, that's your job. You're the one who fixes people," he mumbled.

"Are we back on that?" She sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you I don't want to fix you? Or anyone else for that matter. Except medically, of course." Her comments were met with silence, a silence she knew she'd have to break. "Wilson will find something, you know. Maybe he'll take Meisner up on his offer."

"Maybe."

"You're still not enthused about that."

"Actually, I'm warming to the idea."

"Then what is it?" she asked.

"He was more crushed by the disappointment today than I've ever seen him. Depressed Wilson is not a pretty sight."

"No, I guess not."

House seemed to be fighting with himself over saying something. "I tried."

She waited for him to go on.

"I called a few people, but no one's hiring, not even someone as brilliant as Wilson." He sounded as disappointed as she thought Wilson must be.

"So, he goes with Meisner's offer, or are you still opposed to working in the same hospital with him?"

He sighed. "I'm beginning to realize it's the only way. Where else?"

"I've been thinking about that. I didn't want to say anything until I talked to you about it." She pursed her lips. "Did you hear my conversation the other day about the need for more doctors in Shelby?"

"G.P.s maybe, but an oncologist?" He sneered. "When there are specialists not far away at the hospital in Snow Hill?"

"If Wilson sets up a practice with another specialist or two, all of them with privileges at Snow Hill and other nearby hospitals, it might work."

"So he'd be doing the hiring of the others joining him?"

She sighed. "I hadn't gotten that far in my thinking."

House rubbed his face. "Guess we can run that by Wilson, see what he thinks."

"Let's do that tomorrow."

But in the morning when they arrived at the diner for breakfast, no one else was there. As they ate and drank cup after cup of coffee, they watched the door and out the window for Wilson and Jessica to arrive.

"Guess Jessica went directly to the pharmaceutical company." Cameron emptied another cup of java.

"I guess." House stared into his own coffee cup before narrowing his eyes at Cameron. "Do you really think he'll go for it?"

There was something in the question she couldn't fathom. "What? Starting a practice here in Shelby? Almost everyone I met in med school dreamed of opening a private practice and earning a gazillion dollars before they were thirty."

"Wilson's in his late forties." House shook his head. "He's never expressed an interest in having his own office. He's a hospital kind of guy."

"Well, we shouldn't decide his fate for him. It's something he'll have to choose himself. All we can do is tell him it's an option." Cameron sat back. "You don't like the idea."

He shrugged. "Whether I like the idea or not, you're right. We have to present the option."

She smiled then pointed out the window. "Here he comes now."

They watched Wilson enter the diner and come directly to them. He had a big grin on his face.

"Guess we might not have to suggest anything," House said, studying his friend.

"Suggest what?" Wilson sat down next to Cameron and raised an eyebrow at his friend.

"Cameron had this ridiculous idea that you might want to set-up a private practice here in Shelby." House rolled his eyes.

"What's ridiculous about that?" Wilson's grin returned. "Because I've already suggested that. And Hadley will join me rather than take the position at the hospital."

House scowled. "Next you'll be raiding my team for partners."

"Don't think the idea hasn't crossed my mind. But you're safe. They all intend to stick with you at least a while longer."

"When did all this happen?" Cameron smiled, glad Wilson had the same idea she had.

"Over breakfast at the team's house this morning."

Linda stopped to pour coffee. "What can I get you, Dr. Wilson?" she asked.

"I've had breakfast, thanks. This coffee is all I need right now."

She nodded and left to serve other customers.

"Now I just have to find a place to live and to open shop."

"You're serious about this."

"Sure. This town needs more medical services than Cameron can provide at the clinic." Wilson sipped his coffee. "Hopefully we can attract other specialists and even an internist."

"You've really thought this through? How much business do you think an oncologist can do in a small town like this? And what do you know about running a business?" House sounded almost angry.

"You don't want me here. I understand that." Wilson nodded. "But you don't make decisions for me. I've held off on taking Meisner's offer, and it was a good one, just because you didn't want me working in the same hospital as you. But Jessica's brother works for you and lives here. She wants to be near him. Your desires aren't the only ones I have to consider."

"House, Wilson's not invading your turf. He wouldn't do that," Cameron said.

"Oh, so now you're siding with him? Because he came up with the same solution as you did? Or because..." House came to a stop and tried to catch his breath.

"I don't like him better than you," she said quietly. "But he's a friend. Don't you want him to be happy?"

"I think House's problem is that you and I, independently, came up with this same solution, and it hadn't occurred to him."

"That's what you think," House muttered.

"What did you say?"

"As usual, Wilson analysis of my motives is far from the mark. It was an obvious solution, one I dismissed as soon as I thought of it."

"Then why didn't you say so when I mentioned it this morning?" Cameron asked.

"What, and burst the bubble of self-congratulation you had thinking you were the only one?"

Wilson narrowed his eyes. "Why did you dismiss it? It's a terrific solution."

House shook his head. "It's a cop out and you know it. Whenever someone can't get a job, they start their own business, and in the case of a doctor, that means opening a practice whether there's a need or not." House rolled his eyes. "You'd be better off working for Meisner."

"Why does everyone want me to work for your boss?" Wilson rubbed his temple. "Didn't you say he'd probably leave Snow Hill soon?"

"But while he's still there, he's probably the best boss you'd ever have, including yourself." House closed his eyes and opened them again. "I hate to say this, but my advice at this point is to take his offer. You can always continue to look around."

Wilson stared at him, then shifted his gaze to Cameron. "What do you think, Allison?"

"I always thought that was your best option, but House was so opposed to the idea at first, I didn't want to say so."

Wilson nodded slowly. "Let me think about it. Who knows? Maybe after Nora's surgery, Meisner will rescind his offer."

Jessica arrived at the plant fifteen minutes early. She felt good about Wilson's decision to start a practice in Shelby. She might even get her old job back with the veterinarian she'd worked for. But she was also nervous about what would happen with this job.

"Dr. Simpson, good to see you again," said the woman behind the desk in HR. "I have some paperwork for you to finish before we begin your indoctrination."

What a strange word to use, Jessica thought. Most places she'd worked at before used 'orientation', but she guessed this would be much more intense. She took the clipboard the woman handed her and started to write, but glanced up as additional people walked in, including Hadley.

The two of them made a point of not acknowledging each other.

In addition to the usual questions about background, which the company already had, but she guessed they wanted to cross-check, were more personal questions. The one she balked at had to do with relationships. In the end, she put down none. She couldn't mention James' name.

Twenty minutes later she'd completed the forms. When she returned the clipboard, the woman handed her a urine specimen jar. "We test all new employees for drugs."

Jessica smiled. That wouldn't be a problem. She'd never done drugs of any kind, even refused opioids when she'd broken her leg in a skiing accident eight years earlier. As she entered the ladies room the woman indicated, Hadley came out and frowned. There had to be a story there, but this was no time to ask.

The test done, she was asked to wait for the indoctrination tour to begin. There was no sign of Hadley. A young man led a group of eight out of the building and across the compound to a much larger one. Jessica wondered whether this was where Anita, House and Allison had their tour.

Their guide never introduced himself or the other new employees. Instead, as he led them inside, he said, "Marshall Pharmaceuticals employs the best researchers in the country. They're treated well and love working here."

The first lab he took them to consisted of two rows of five tables each. The researchers working at the tables were dressed in identical baggy white coveralls and wore white caps to contain their hair. In some cases, it was hard to tell the gender.

"Here we're testing a new pill to combat sinus congestion. As you can see, we observe the strictest of cleanliness."

But Jessica saw an overfilled trash bin in a corner of the room. None of the workers wore gloves or masks. A cage of white mice sat at the end of one table, also overfilled. One researcher rubbed at her red and runny nose with a hand and then used that hand to pick up an animal.

"Our researchers enjoy their work, as you can see," the guide said, leading them back out of the room.

Jessica sighed. "Right, they're jumping for joy," she muttered to herself.

In each of the labs they went to, conditions were the same, yet the guide's litany never changed either. The company was a great place to work, they did wonderful things, etc. etc. etc.

They'd seen five labs by noon. Their guide took them to the company cafeteria for lunch, then left them without any instructions about where they'd be working or what else they should do that day.

"This isn't what I expected," a red-haired woman around Jessica's age said. "I'm Stefanie, by the way." She held out a hand with long slim fingers.

Jess shook it. "Jessica. Are you a doctor?"

"Biochemist," Stefanie said. "And you?"

"Veterinarian. What do you suppose we do after lunch?"

Stefanie shrugged. "Maybe someone else will come get us."

Jessica looked around for Hadley, but there was still no sign of her. Had she failed the drug test?

"Who are you looking for?" Stefanie asked.

"Oh, no one. Just wondered if I knew anyone here. It's such a big company."

Stefanie nodded. "I applied at some of the larger ones, though, and it's tougher to get hired there."

"I would imagine." Jess smirked. "Well, let's get some food."

They got in line with a tray and each selected a chef's salad. When they found a table, Jessica sniffed it and wrinkled her nose. "Does this smell funny to you?"

"Now that you mention it. Doesn't look all that appetizing either." Stefanie picked at her plate, eating the grape tomatoes and cucumber on top but avoiding the limp lettuce and romaine, and especially the strips of turkey and ham. "I'd get something else, but I didn't see anything I'd rather eat."

"Guess we can always get something from the vending machines."

"Did you see any?"

"Come to think of it… Jessica, I'm beginning to wonder about this place."

"I'll give it a week," Jessica decided. "Maybe they're just having a bad day."

"Sounds like a plan." Stefanie sipped her soft drink.

House left for the hospital without saying anything more. Were Wilson and Cameron right? Had he resented the fact that they came up with a plan for Wilson without consulting him? He'd told the truth when he said he'd thought of and then dismissed the idea of Wilson opening a practice in Shelby. Could he accept having Wilson work at Snow Hill, though?

His team was in the conference room, but he ignored the three of them and went directly to his office. An alternate plan had come to him during the night, but he didn't want to say anything to Wilson and Cameron about it until he worked out the details in the light of day.

Would it work? Could he do it? Did he want to? It was crazy. He didn't have the temperament or knowledge. He couldn't even remember why the idea seemed so good when he'd come up with it. What if it failed? What would happen? He scratched his head. No, it was a stupid idea, would never work. Good thing he hadn't brought it up.


	89. Chapter 89

Our daughter is coming Friday for a visit and to go to Bubonicon with me all weekend. I'll sell lots of my three books, hopefully, and she'll attend many of the sessions. She won't leave until Wednesday, so I won't be able to finish a new chapter to post until two weeks from now.

 **Chapter 89.**

After lunch, Jessica remained at the table with Stephanie, waiting for someone to come get them. The others who'd been on the tour with them sat looking around the cafeteria.

A half hour later, the young man who gave them the tour entered. His face was red, and he looked confused. "You're to come with me. I guess they wanted me to take you each to the lab where you'll be working."

At the first stop, one of the labs they'd seen on their tour, he led a man and woman inside, leaving the rest of them in the corridor. He soon returned. "Follow me."

Stephanie was assigned to a lab they hadn't visited. Jessica was sad to say good-bye. After a couple more stops, she was the only one left. The young man looked at a list. "You're the veterinarian, right?"

She nodded.

He sighed. "Okay, come this way." He took her down two flights in the elevator to a room filled with animal cages. Three researchers looked up only briefly when they entered. "Guess you have your pick of the remaining tables." Without another word, he turned and left. Nothing about what she was to do.

She went to an unoccupied table. A jar containing a puke green concoction sat next to a cage of mice. No instructions, no information about what was in the jar. She sniffed it. It smelled worse than it looked. This was going to be a long afternoon.

Cameron's morning at the clinic was routine enough that she had time to think about House's odd behavior. She was convinced she'd been right about his resistance to the idea of Wilson opening a practice in Shelby, but she didn't know whether or not to do anything more about it. He'd seemed even more annoyed when she accused him.

She shrugged. It was his problem, not hers, although she could never be completely happy if he was unhappy, angry or even miffed.

During a lull in patients, she called Principal Berman to pass on her idea for a talk to students about opportunities to work in the clinic. "Rusty was very enthusiastic about telling the younger kids what he'd gotten out of the experience, and I expect Hannah will be too."

"I think it's a great idea. Having them volunteer on their own would be even better than having teachers suggest students to you." Berman paused. "I guess you're busy with your campaign right now, but when could you do it?"

"I don't have any speeches scheduled for next week. Would that be too soon?"

"I'll see what I can arrange and let you know. Doctor, I'm grateful to you for working with these kids."

"My pleasure."

The minute she disconnected, her phone beeped. It was Chief Anderson.

"Chief, did you catch the guys who damaged the house?"

He chuckled. "I wish. But we do have some new clues. The specific tires were made for Marshall Pharmaceuticals. The company has a fleet of vans that were outfitted with them."

Cameron should have been surprised, but based on everything Anita told them, and their own tour of the pharma plant, it was highly likely that unsavory people worked for the company. She wasn't ready to blame the management but that wasn't completely out of the picture.

"Doc? You still there?"

"Just thinking about the implications of what you said. I guess there's no way to tell which of those vans it was."

"No." Anderson paused. "You do realize they own land not far from your property."

"Someone said something about that, last week I think. You'll continue to investigate?"

"Of course." Anderson sighed. "We have very little property damage in this town and I'd like to keep it that way."

"Thanks for calling to tell me," she said. "Let us know if anything else turns up."

"Will do."

House needed something to keep him from dwelling on Wilson and his future. He'd sent out some feelers related to his plan, but the more he thought about it, the more he decided it was ridiculous. Time to earn his keep and point his staff in the right direction.

They'd left the conference room, though. He stopped there to read through any notes they left to bring himself up to speed. They were well on their way to solving this one without him. So why did that rankle?

He went in search of the patient's room, but halfway to the elevators, he met Lembach coming his way.

She smiled slightly. "Dr. House. Just the man I wanted to see. I received a strange call today from Shelby. You're not planning on leaving us, are you?"

He had a strange feeling of guilt. He couldn't leave the hospital after all, could he? "No, of course not. I was making inquiries for a friend."

"Dr. Wilson?"

He sometimes forgot how sharp Lembach was. "He has this crazy idea of starting a practice there, and Cameron's encouraging him."

"So you called a few people." She raised one eyebrow.

"Doing some checking. That's all." He felt like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. To cover his embarrassment, he assumed his 'what-a-crazy-idea' pose complete with an eye roll. "Although why an oncologist would open an office in a town as small as Shelby is beyond me."

"No, but a nephrologist and infectious disease specialist might." She seemed to be hiding a smile.

"Only one who didn't already have a great job with an even greater boss. Not to mention his fantastic secretary."

She laughed. "Okay, you don't have to lay it on that thick. Why doesn't Dr. Wilson take Dr. Meisner's offer if he's still looking for a position in this part of the country?"

"He just might." House shrugged.

She walked away, shaking her head, and leaving House rethinking his next moves.

Wilson hadn't moved from the diner booth after breakfast. He sat alone, replaying the entire discussion with House and Allison. House had changed, that was a fact. But Wilson couldn't understand what his friend's attitude meant. It wasn't as simple as he and Allison thought. If House was annoyed that they'd independently come up with a solution that he'd already thought of and rejected, he might have made a snarky comment and dropped it. But he was more than annoyed and Wilson couldn't figure out why.

Anita and Hadley entered the diner and sat down together across from him.

"Why aren't you at the factory with Jessica?" Wilson asked.

Anita answered for Hadley. "She failed the drug test."

"I was afraid that might happen," Hadley grimaced. "You won't require a drug test if we go into business together, will you? What if I fail that too?"

Wilson scowled, not ready to tell her plans might have changed. "What are you taking?"

"Clonazepan and Prozac."

"So you have Huntington's after all?"

She shook her head. "I've shown some signs, but tests aren't conclusive."

"You should tell them about it when you go for your drug test at the hospital," Wilson advised. "I don't think I'll open that practice after all."

"Oh!"

Anita scratched her ear. "And meanwhile, your girlfriend is all alone investigating the drug company."

"Jessica can handle it." But Wilson was worried since he hadn't heard from her since she left that morning.

The first hour, Jessica had asked the others in her room so many questions about what she should do, she was sure they were already annoyed with her. Even though this was a temporary job, she still wanted to do it right. And she didn't want people to hate her.

A few minutes into the second hour, a middle-aged man with a sour look on his face entered the lab and approached her. "Dr. Simpson?"

"Yes?" She had no idea what he wanted or who he was. Was she already in trouble?

He consulted a sheet of paper in his hand. "According to your application, you worked as a veterinarian in the Carolinas and most recently here in Snow Hill. Why did you leave those positions?"

She'd expected that question during her initial interview. Wasn't it a little late to be asking? "I like it in this area, but my job in town was only part-time. I wanted a full-time job that would help animals." She stuck to the answer she'd had ready earlier.

"I see," he said, but there was something in his tone that indicated he found her answer suspicious.

What could she add? "I found over the years that there were limited medications for pets with certain diseases, and I hoped your company was developing better drugs."

He stared at her. "All right. Carry on." He turned on his heels and left.

She waited a full five minutes before asking the woman to her right, "Who was that?"

"Mr. Hennesy. One of those management types who know nothing about chemicals or medicine. Every once in a while he makes noises to justify his existence."

Jessica made a note of the name. Definitely someone Anita should investigate. She went back to testing a new formulation to prevent tumors in animals. So far, the mice she'd tried it on weren't doing well.

There'd been a rush at the clinic around lunchtime. Cameron wasn't finished with patients until well after one. And she was very hungry. She waved to Carol and Naomi as she left for the diner. "I won't be long. If anyone comes in, tell them to wait, and if it's serious, buzz me."

She rushed across to the diner, expecting that anyone who'd been there was already gone, so she was surprised to see Wilson, Anita and especially Hadley eating sandwiches in the booth.

"Aren't you supposed to be somewhere else?" she asked Hadley.

"Failed the drug test."

Cameron didn't pry. Instead she ordered her own sandwich. "What has anyone heard from Jessica?"

Wilson shook his head as he swallowed a mouthful of food. "She hasn't called."

"No wonder you all look so glum."

"House didn't tell you any more about what he's thinking, did he?" Wilson asked.

"No. Part of it is likely what we thought, that you and I came up with our own plan, one he'd already ruled out. But I think he has something up his sleeve that he's not talking about. Probably won't until he's sure of the details."

"I thought I understood him."

Cameron chuckled. "That's what he wanted you to think. But no one can fully comprehend that rat's nest of a brain. I tend not to even try. All the twists and turns just give me a headache." She shrugged. "He'll tell us what he wants to when he wants to."

Anita's eyebrows drew together. "How can you be so...tolerant? So patient?"

"I've learned that if I'm not, I may never know what he's thinking." She grinned. "But if I bide my time, eventually he relents to tell lesser beings like myself how brilliant he's been."

"That sounds a bit sarcastic."

"Does it? I guess so. He really is beyond brilliant and it's the one thing he takes pride in, so I encourage it." She sat back as her lunch arrived. What she'd said was true, although she'd never expressed it before in quite those terms.

Wilson rubbed his forehead. "Cameron's right. I shouldn't forget that about House." His phone jingled and he smiled, his shoulders relaxing. "It's Jess," he told them before answering. "Hi, how's it going?" He put his phone on speaker.

"This place is worse than we thought." She paused. "I'm on a break and hiding in the ladies room. I don't know where to begin, but Anita should check into a man named Hennesy. He's in management and likes to throw his weight around, although he doesn't know anything about pharmaceuticals."

"Thanks," Anita said. "I'll check him out. Do you know his first name?"

"No. Sorry. Where are you guys? No, let me guess, the diner."

"Yes, I'm here with Allison, Anita and Hadley," Wilson said.

Her voice rose. "Hadley, what happened to you? I looked for you at lunch."

"The drug test eliminated me."

"Oh, that's too bad. I could have used a friend here. Everyone's so closed off, as if they're afraid of each other." Sounds and voices came through the phone. "I'd better go. I'll make a full report later, Anita."

"Thanks."

"See you later," Wilson said and disconnected.

"She's got her eyes and ears open," Anita commented. "That's good."

"There's something else you should know." Cameron sighed. "The guys who vandalized our new house drive a pickup owned by Marshall Pharmaceuticals. You know they have a facility not far from our property."

"You think they want you to stop building there?" Wilson asked.

She nodded. "That's certainly a possibility. Chief Anderson will investigate further, but there may just be a connection."

"But is it because you're encroaching on their territory, because Marshall wants to distract you and Will from your campaigns, or because Marshall himself has some sort of grudge against one of you or House?" Anita wondered.

"Any of those may be true. We can't jump to conclusions," Cameron said. "I just wish we knew more."


	90. Chapter 90

Our daughter is gone and Bubonicon is over, and I've finished the next chapter. Next week, we're heading to Taos for a few days, so I don't know when I'll post the next chapter, but certainly by Friday, 9/15.

 **Chapter 90**

It had been a long day as a spy at her new job. Jessica was relieved to be heading to the diner to meet the others for dinner. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her she hadn't eaten much of her salad at lunch.

She found the booth full, everyone talking at once. After the quiet in the lab it was welcome. They stopped and looked up when she arrived. "Keep talking," she said, fluttering a hand at them.

"That bad?" Hadley asked.

"You don't know the half of it." She sighed. "You're lucky they didn't keep you on. I don't know what smelled worse, the chemicals in the laboratory or the food in the cafeteria. I swear they spray some of the first on the lettuce. I need a juicy, tasty Mo burger."

"You'll have to give me the details after you've eaten something," Anita said.

While she waited for the burger and fries she ordered, she said, "You could cut the silence in the workroom with a butter knife." She had to talk about something else. "What were you all discussing when I came in?"

"House was telling Wilson he should take Meisner's offer at the hospital," Hadley said.

Jennifer's eyes went wide. "You did?" She studied House's face but she could never read it before so why did she think this would be different? "You should have said so weeks ago so he wouldn't have had to apply anywhere else."

Wilson took her hand. "I'm sure House had his reasons, not that he'll tell us. But it will be much easier than trying to set up my own practice."

"I suppose." She looked at his hand on hers. "As long as you think it's the way to go."

"Guess this means I'll be taking a job there, too," Hadley said. "As long as I pass the drug test."

House didn't say anything.

"Jess, will you go back to work for Dr. Carter?" Cameron asked.

"If he'll have me. I did leave him in the lurch when I quit." She chewed her lower lip. "I'll call him tomorrow and see if he'll rehire me. But first I'll have to finish my stint for Anita."

As House and Cameron drove to Edna's, she said, "You were awfully quiet tonight. What's your brain working on?"

He was silent for a full minute but just before they arrived, he said, "If Wilson's working at the hospital, maybe it's time I did something else."

Cameron blinked a few times. "Something else. Like what?"

He sighed. "Open a practice here."

"You're kidding!" She narrowed her eyes. "No, you're not. Well, an infectious disease specialist would be more appropriate than an oncologist, but the other objections you gave to Wilson still apply. What do you know about running a business?"

He pulled into the driveway and turned to face her. "What did you know about it before you took over the clinic?"

She smirked. "I did all your correspondence for a while. I ran an ER, not just delegating, but doing everything including the paperwork. And I have Carol and now Naomi."

"Right. So after Carol's maternity leave, you'll have two office managers. You won't mind if I pouch one of them."

Cameron shook her head. "You've thought this through, haven't you?"

"I even found a place. There's an old house available near the town square that used to have a dentist's office on the ground floor."

"What about the hospital? What about your team?"

He shrugged. "Hadley can run the team."

"You'll forgive me if I take a few minutes to absorb this." She opened the back door and stepped into Edna's kitchen.

Anna sat at the table with Edna, and the two of them grinned when they saw the couple. Cameron made herself a cup of tea and poured a mug of coffee for House, who'd made himself at home in his favorite chair at the table.

"What are you ladies up to?" at that point, Cameron wouldn't have been surprised if they said they were plotting to take over the world.

"Anna was just telling me the garden club wanted me to be president for the coming year." Edna's grin broadened even more. Her garden was one of the prettiest in town, especially her roses.

"That's wonderful." Cameron sat in the remaining chair. "You'll do a great job."

"Will you plant a garden at the new house?" Anna asked.

Cameron's eyes opened wider. "I hadn't really thought about it. But if I do, I'll definitely consult with both of you."

"As long as the flowers you plant aren't the usual trite varieties, like petunias and marigolds." House sneered. "How about something exotic?"

"Dr. House, you seem to know something about it," Anna said with a chuckle.

"He knows so much about so many things," Edna marveled, but she was grinning.

"But many of the more exotic flowers won't grow here, at least not without a greenhouse."

"Then we'll have a greenhouse. I always wanted to raise orchids."

Three sets of eyes looked at him in astonishment.

"Hey, if it was good enough for Nero Wolfe..."

As they drove to the diner the next day, Cameron asked, "When will you tell Wilson your plan?"

"Why does he have to know, or anyone else for that matter?"

"At least you'll have to tell the hospital."

He shrugged. "I was thinking I'd do both jobs at first, until the practice is going well."

"And in case it doesn't you'll have something to fall back on."

"Oh, ye of little faith. Of course it'll go well. Just needs time to build, that's all."

She nodded. "And since you do so little hands on with your team, if you disappear for hours of the day, no one will notice."

"Exactly."

"House!"

"Cameron!"

She shuddered and said a deep, "Grrrr."

Only Wilson sat in the booth when they entered. "Jess had a quick breakfast before her second day at the pharma company."

"You don't have to explain," House said.

"If I hadn't, you would have said something about her leaving me already."

"She didn't?"

Cameron rolled her eyes. Was this how it would be having Wilson living in the same town?

"When are you telling your team what you're planning?" Wilson asked.

"Not planning anything." House sipped his coffee.

"And I'm a unicorn with spots." Wilson smirked.

House waited until he and Cameron ordered before asking, "What do you think I'm planning?"

"You're opening your own practice here in Shelby. That's why it's suddenly okay for me to accept Meisner's offer." Wilson crossed his arms, but the gesture was ruined when he banged his elbow into his coffee cup and he had to rush to right it.

Trying not to admit Wilson was right, House assumed his 'you got to be kidding' mask.

But Cameron spoiled it. "He's got you there." She laughed.

Jessica parked in the same spot she had the day before, then realized she could leave her car closer to the building where she worked. She spotted one of the others from her room when she got out of the car. Grasping the opportunity, she approached the woman. "Hi, we haven't be introduced. I'm Jess."

The woman frowned at her but said, "Lana. You're the new one."

"Yes, and I'm so excited to be working here, doing something so useful for animals." Jessica feigned her enthusiasm.

"Give it a week or two." The woman smirked. "You won't be so happy about it." Then she clammed up. They walked in silence to the elevator and took it to their floor with a dozen other researchers, but Jessica realized this woman might give her the information she needed for Anita.

Their room hadn't changed since the day before. She went to her table and read over the notes she'd made. There was something she thought she might try before her next test with the live mice. She reached for a reagent at the end of her table.

"What are you doing?" The man at the table next to hers scowled at her. "We're only supposed to add prescribed chemicals."

"I thought we were experimenting, trying to improve the formulations, especially when the previous batch was killing the mice." She bit her lower lip. "I'm sorry. I'm new here. No one ever told me the rules."

"They were in the handbook you received during your orientation." He shook his head and mumbled just loud enough for her to hear, "Stupid newbie."

She watched him return to his table, wondering what handbook he was talking about. Somehow sh had to do things the Marshall way. But those poor mice would suffer for it.

Cameron arrived at the clinic the same time as Carol. She could see her office manager looked a little green. "I thought the morning sickness was long over."

"It is. I just haven't felt well all morning. And my back is killing me." Carol reached behind to rub.

"Let Naomi do all the physical work today," Cameron advised.

"Believe me, I will." Carol sat down heavily in her office chair and sighed. "I can't wait for this little critter to be born." She rubbed her basketball-shaped belly.

Cameron smiled. "Let me know if you need anything." She went into the exam room, but left the door open a crack so she could watch for the first patient of the day and also keep an eye on Carol.

It turned into a morning of minor injuries, first a young woman with a twisted ankle, then a man with a gash in his leg from his weed wacker, and finally a woman who'd fallen and dislocated a shoulder. Cameron was able to treat the first two with a bit of help from Naomi, but sent the last one to the hospital, loaded down with pain killers for the ride in the ambulance.

Just before lunch, though, Carol let out a groan she could hear in the exam room. Cameron rushed to her side.

"I think it's a contraction," Carol said.

"It could be the real thing or just a Braxton Hicks," Cameron said. "Is this the first one you've felt?"

"Yes."

"Let's see if you have any more, how frequent and long they are. Braxton Hicks aren't as regular and don't become more painful as they recur." Cameron checked her watch.

"I should still have two weeks to go," Carol said, as another contraction made her tense up.

Cameron again noted the time then left her with Naomi and went to retrieve her stethoscope. When she returned, she listened to the sounds in Carol's abdomen. "Breathe and consciously relax," she said. "Naomi, bring her a bottle of water from the cooler in the exam room."

The soon-to-be mother drank the water slowly and did relaxation exercises. She didn't have another contraction for twenty minutes, and it wasn't as severe.

"I'm pretty sure what you had were Braxton Hicks," Cameron said. "But I'll watch you over the next few days."

"I'll be glad to do any strenuous work," Naomi said with a smile.

"Thanks. Thank you both." Carol had her breath in check. Her body relaxed.

Wilson drove to Snow Hill with the intention of looking around the town, but somehow ended up in the hospital visitors' lot. The only patient he knew was Nora Meisner. He smiled, realizing he wanted to see her. She was a good sounding board, although her loyalty to her husband would likely have her telling him once again to take the offered job at Snow Hill Mercy.

He found Dr. Meisner at his wife's side.

"Dr. Wilson, good to see you." The administrator smiled. "Nora just asked me whether I'd heard from you about joining my staff."

"I'm seriously considering it, that is, if the offer still holds."

"But of course!"

"It's good to know how much faith you have in me without seeing me working."

"If I had any doubts, I wouldn't have asked you to operate on my wife. And I did see how you diagnosed her, so I know a little about your abilities." He nodded. "Plus, House vouched for you and I've learned he's a good judge of other doctor's abilities."

Wilson blinked. House vouched for him? Now he couldn't turn Meisner down. "Guess this means you've got yourself a new oncologist."

Meisner shook his hand and Nora beamed.


	91. Chapter 91

Sorry I didn't post this sooner. Hope you enjoy.

 **Chapter 91.**

Jessica spent the rest of the afternoon deconstructing the formulation she'd been working with, looking for an ingredient that prevented it from working. The active ingredient wasn't too different from others used in the past to treat animals, but something else, a vehicle, an inert filler, maybe even a binder that caused the test mice to die or become sicker.

Of course she hadn't been given a complete list of what was included, but she knew enough about pharmacology to guess at what was there and what was not.

"What are you doing?" The nosy man at the next table who'd questioned her before peered over her shoulder.

"This doesn't work, in fact it's detrimental to animals." She tapped one of the pills. "Something in this has to be replaced."

He crossed his arms and glared at her. "We're not supposed to question what those who worked on this before already did. All we can do is suggest minor changes."

"But we're researchers, aren't we? We're supposed to make the drugs better, not accept inferior medications." She smiled despite his negative stance. "Don't you want to help animals? Isn't that why you're here?"

He grimaced and walked back to his table. She shrugged and went on with what she'd been doing.

"So, you bit the bullet and took his offer?" House had been the first person Wilson told that he'd accepted the job at Snow Hill Mercy, mainly because he was also in the hospital, but also because Jessica was busy.

Wilson smirked. "You told me to, or rather you gave me permission." They sat in the nearly empty cafeteria drinking coffee and eating pie. He pointed his fork at his plate. "This is delicious, but we really have to celebrate later with Jessica and Cameron."

House's mouth was full, but as usual that didn't stop him from saying, "If you think it's worth celebrating."

"Of course it is," Wilson said. "I've been looking for another position for months now. This will be perfect. I promise to let you do your thing and I'll do mine."

"As long as I can crash your office and pick your brain whenever I have to."

"I expected as much." Wilson smiled. "It'll be like old times, only in a much pleasanter atmosphere."

House looked like he might say more, but instead he took another bite of pie.

Carol didn't have another contraction the rest of the day. Still, Cameron sent her home early. "Put your feet up and rest while you can."

Rubbing her ankles, Carol nodded. "I have an urge to clean the bathroom, but just the thought of doing it tires me out."

Cameron chuckled.

Naomi nodded. "Before Hannah was born, I scrubbed every floor and every counter in the house. I told myself it was because I didn't want to leave a dirty house when I went into the hospital, but really, it happens to many women and sometimes the activity speeds labor, right Doctor?"

"So I've read. Carol, do what you feel comfortable doing, but remember, after your baby's born, you won't have time to clean the house."

"That's for sure!" Naomi laughed.

Jessica stayed in the lab when the others left for the day. Once she was sure no one would return, she began her search for any notes she could locate on the work they were doing. "Maybe I can find the formulation I'm supposed to be testing," she murmured to herself.

A filing cabinet against one wall seemed a likely place for records on what had been done before she was hired. But after twenty minutes of going through the few files there, she concluded they were only copies of applications for approval of drugs already on the market. Where would they keep notes of what the researchers had tried? Without those, they could be going around in circles, trying the same things over and over.

Or was that what the company wanted? Did they just have them there for appearances? Didn't they want new drugs to sell?

Another ten minutes of investigating and she gave up for the day. Time to leave for the house they shared with the team. If they stayed in Shelby, she and Wilson could look into a place of their own, but for now, a room in that rental house would have to do.

Cameron finished with the last patient of the day. She brought the patient's file out to Naomi to file. If House actually opened a practice in Shelby, he'd need someone to take care of his paperwork. She grinned. He'd never do it. But it wasn't her place to mention to Naomi that she might have a job with him after Carol returned after her maternity leave. A leave that might start sooner than they originally thought.

"Thanks, Naomi."

She shook her head. "Oh, don't thank me. It's part of my job, isn't it?"

Cameron smiled. "I was also thanking you for your help with Carol earlier."

"She's close, I think. Much closer than predicted."

Cameron nodded. "I doubt we'll see her tomorrow morning."

"I'll be here." Naomi turned off the computer. "And I'll enter the data then, okay? I have to get home to the kids."

"Sure."

They walked out together. Naomi got into her car and Cameron walked to the diner.

House and Wilson were both there. "What's up?" House asked.

"How do you know something's up?" she asked.

"The contemplative look in your eyes."

"Carol had contractions this afternoon, but they were Braxton Hicks. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if she gave birth tomorrow." She sat. "Naomi's ready to take over for her. I was thinking that, if you go through with your plan..." She glanced at Wilson. Had House said anything to him about his long term plans?

House interrupted before she decided whether or not to go on. "Wilson has news. He took Meisner's offer."

"Oh, that's wonderful." She grinned. "Does Jessica know yet?"

"Do I know what?" Jess had entered the diner without any of them noticing.

"I took the job at the hospital," Wilson told her.

Her mouth and eyes formed happy o's. "Oh, Jimmy, that's wonderful!"

"That's what I said," Cameron said. She stood again and they played a bit of musical chairs so Cameron sat opposite House, and Wilson opposite Jessica. "How'd it go at the plant today?"

Jessica's happy face disappeared. "That place is a mess."

"How bad?" Wilson asked.

She shook her head. "Where should I start? There are no records of what was done before, not even a list of what's in the current drug formulations. Of course, that's only for pet medicines, but I can only conclude it's standard operating procedure for the place."

She paused to sip the iced tea that had magically appeared in front of her. "I told you yesterday that cleanliness was nil. Today I saw what an environment of fear pervades the place. I tried to analyze the composition of one of the meds I'm working with and the guy at the next table, who never even introduced himself, essentially yelled at me for getting out of line, for not playing by company rules, not that I was given a copy of them before I started." As she spoke her frown deepened and her voice rose in both pitch and volume.

Wilson motioned for her to keep it down.

"Sorry. I'm just so angry," she said through gritted teeth, although in a quieter voice.

"Do you think what you've found is enough for Anita?" Cameron asked.

"I don't have any concrete proof of anything yet. That's partly why I tried to find out what was in the pills." A slight smile appeared. "But I managed to sneak one out. Maybe the lab at the hospital can analyze this." She took a small white oblong from her pocket and placed it on a napkin on the table. "These are killing the animals instead of helping them."

House focused on the pill. "I think I know just the tech to ask." His gaze shifted to Jessica. "Depending on what she finds, this may be your concrete proof."

"Good, because I had a look at the files in the room where I've been working, and there's nothing in them. I mean nothing. Oh, they're not completely empty, just some innocuous papers."

"Curioser and curioser." Cameron smirked. "Too bad you have to go back tomorrow."

Jessica shrugged. "I'll just keep a low profile and follow the non-existent company rules. I don't know what else I can do."

Wilson's brow furrowed. "Don't take chances."

"You keep saying that. I told you, I won't. You know how much of a coward I am."

Linda brought their food as Hadley and Anita arrived. They sniffed at the food as it was placed on the table. "I'll have that." Hadley pointed to Cameron's hot open roast beef sandwich and then sat down.

Anita nodded and sat too. "Same for me."

Neither of them was content to wait until everyone finished eating before bombarding Jessica with questions, and then Wilson. They'd been caught up to date on the day's events by the time their sandwiches arrived, complete with fries and sliced tomatoes.

"The tomatoes came out of Mo's garden." Linda didn't have to tell them that. Mo wouldn't serve any other kind.

It was Wilson's turn to pepper Anita with questions of his own. "What else have you been able to find out about the pharma company? Will Jess be able to quit soon?"

Anita took her time chewing her food and swallowing before answering. "My boss is getting some push back on this case. But he's determined to go forward. If analysis shows that the pill Jessica took is adulterated or too close to others patented by Marshall, we'll still need to prove that it came from the factory." Her gaze shifted to Jessica. "How are you with a camera?"

"Fair. But I wouldn't be able to bring one to work with me."

"Use your cellphone. That might have good enough resolution. Take photos of your desk with the pills on it, close enough to make out any marking on them."

Jess shook her head. "There aren't any. Show her, House."

He took the plastic envelope holding the pill from his pocket and held it out for Anita to see.

"Hmm, that's a problem," Anita said.

"I can take pictures of the condition of the labs, if that'll help."

"Yes, but not as much as if there was something distinctive about the medication." Anita munched on fries thoughtfully as everyone else finished eating. "Is the shape or size of the pills unusual?" she asked.

"Maybe."

They all stared at the pill on the table. Jessica shook her head. "It looks like several other pills we've used for assorted illnesses in animals. Liquids are usually easier to administer, but pills that small can be mixed with food so the animal will ingest it."

"Let me take it to the hospital lab. Who knows what's included in this." House scooped it up and pocketed it.

The next morning, as House drove to the hospital he thought about the pill Jess gave him, or rather about the lab where he'd have it analyzed. If he opened a practice in Shelby, he'd have to make arrangements to use the lab or one like it for all the tests he'd have to have run for his patients. Maybe if he played nice with the staff at the hospital...

Wilson had taken his own car, since he had to reach the hospital earlier than House usually did, and he didn't expect to remain at the hospital after Nora Meisner's surgery, but House hoped they could have coffee together. He needed a sounding board before he committed to opening the practice.

He parked and went to his office to drop off his bag, but then went directly to the lab.

"Can I help you, Dr. House?" Lucy Newman, the technician he'd hoped to see, was covering the intake desk.

"Need an analysis," he said, suppressing a smile. He extracted the white oblong pill. "Can you tell me what's in this?" He'd come up with a plausible story during his short drive. "A friend found it mixed with her dog's medications, but she'd never seen it before. I told her I'd find out what was in it."

"I guess we can analyze it, but don't know how long it will take."

"I know you're busy," he said. "But I'd be very grateful if you can squeeze this in." He fluttered his eyelids at her.

She laughed, looked at the pill and then at him. "You got it, although it looks like an ordinary pet pill."


	92. Chapter 92

Several of the plotlines move forward in this chapter.

 **Chapter 92.**

Jessica made her way to the room she'd worked in the day before. Her table was completely cleared off, so she looked around.

The man next to her, the one who'd given her a hard time the day before, approached. "Since you're the newest, you can go get our new medications to test."

"Huh?"

He rolled his eyes. "After we've made suggestions about the formulations we tested, they're re-worked in the compounding lab on the fourth floor. You'll have to pickup the next things we have to test."

"Oh." She shrugged and headed out to the elevator. When she reached the fourth floor, she had to ask the way since the doors have a signs. One door was locked. Her badge didn't open it, so she knocked. A few minutes later a middle-aged woman finally opened it.

"Is this the compounding lab? I'm here to pickup the new formulations for testing in the animal meds room." She assumed there was only one. This room smelled more of chemicals than the one she worked in.

"Right." The woman did an about face and strolled to a table on the side of the room, covered with bottles and packets. "You guys get liquids today." She handed Jessica a tray of bottles. "Careful, don't want to drop these."

"I won't."

The woman let Jessica out of the lab. Jess took the elevator back to her floor, gripping the tray as steadily as she could. When she entered, the others in the room gathered around her. They seemed to be able to tell from the codes on the bottles which they should each take. When they'd finished, three bottles remained. Jessica took those to her station. She opened one and sniffed. Many conflicting odors, mostly acrid, a few sweet, none particularly palatable. Getting an animal to swallow this would take some coaxing.

If she could find a small vial, she could take a bit home with her for House's lab tech to analyze, but there were none on her table. She sighed. Meanwhile, she'd test the liquid on the mice in the cage at her elbow.

Carol hadn't arrived yet when Cameron entered the clinic. She smiled, expecting a phone call any minute saying Carol was in labor, and possibly even on her way to the hospital.

Naomi entered and glanced at the office manager's desk. Her right eyebrow rose a fraction of an inch. "I guess it's just you and me today, Doctor."

Cameron nodded. "I'll wait until ten, but if I haven't heard from Carol by then, I'll call her."

Only one patient arrived in that time, an older patient, Mrs. Jensen, asking about flu shots.

"I received my new allotment of vaccine yesterday," Cameron told the woman, "so you're in luck." She glanced at Naomi, remembering her first talk with Hannah about vaccines, but their family had changed their minds about shots since then. "Naomi, can you help me?"

Naomi nodded and followed Cameron and the patient into the exam room. They left the door open so they could watch the front door.

Under a hand-knit cardigan, Mrs. Jensen wore a long-sleeved blouse. Cameron was able to pull the neck open enough to give her the shot in her shoulder. "Sit here a moment so I can monitor for a reaction. I've given you the higher dose recommended for patients of your age."

Mrs. Jensen nodded, then smiled at Naomi. "What happened to Carol?"

"She hasn't come in yet today. It's late in her pregnancy and she's having difficulty."

The patient nodded again. "I remember with my first how miserable I felt after he dropped. Why, the pressure on my bladder alone was enough to send me to the bathroom fifty times an hour."

Naomi laughed. "I know what you mean. The same happened to me with each of my pregnancies."

The phone rang, the ID indicating it was finally Carol, calling in.

"How are you doing this morning?" Cameron asked.

"Doctor, it's me, Seth." He sounded out of breath. "I'm at the hospital with Carol. They say her labor has processed."

"You mean progressed."

"Yes, whatever. Anyway. The doctor said she'll probably give birth today."

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Cameron said, then looked at the women who'd entered the reception room. "But probably not until later this afternoon."

Cameron focused on her patients for the next couple of hours, but when she had a chance, she called House. If she couldn't make it to the hospital, he was already there. But his phone went to voicemail.

Wilson suited up for Nora's surgery. When he entered the operating theater, he noticed House watching from above. It wasn't the first time, so he was neither surprised nor discomforted. The rest of the surgical team, including Dr. Lewis, a staff oncologist who would assist, joined him and Nora was wheeled in. She was easily sedated. But the minute the team set to work, they could see there'd be complications, possibly due to the anesthetic.

The patient's breathing became erratic and her blood pressure plummeted. They tried every trick at their disposal to bring her vitals into normal range. Nothing worked.

"Bring her out of it!" Wilson shouted.

A nurse quickly injected Flumazenil, a reversal agent, in Nora's IV port. It wasn't long before her b.p. rose and her other vitals stabilized.

"Is it over?" were the first words she spoke.

Wilson exchanged worried looks with the others on the team, but took it upon himself to tell her, "We couldn't operate, Nora. You had a reaction to the anesthetic. We can reschedule, making sure to use something else."

The anesthetist nodded. "I've already made a note on your chart to avoid it in any future surgeries."

Wilson looked up to see House's reaction. Sometime during the last fifteen minutes, Meisner had joined him. Wilson had a fleeting thought that what happened might mean his job at the hospital was in jeopardy, but his overriding concern was for Nora. If it turned out they couldn't operate, her chances of survival for more than a few months were slim.

A couple of orderlies arrived to move her back to her room. No one had expected the operation to turn out this way.

Wilson left the theater and stripped off his gown and gloves. He felt glum, defeated, disappointed.

"Dr. Wilson," Meisner called to him. House had disappeared.

"Yes?" Wilson faced him, waiting for the man to shout at him.

"Thank you for making the call to reverse Nora's sedation. I could see Dr. Lewis wanted to wait." Meisner shook his head. "I wonder whether he realizes what harm that could have done."

"It was obvious to me that the anesthetic was causing the drop in blood pressure. We can wait a couple of days and try another drug. The anesthetist is already planning that."

Meisner's brow furrowed. "Thing is, Nora never had that kind of reaction to any medicine, whether IV or in pill form."

"She's in a more fragile condition now. We won't go ahead until we're certain she can tolerate what we give her."

"Thank you." Meisner held out a hand.

Somewhat surprised, Wilson took it.

Certain that Nora Meisner wasn't in any danger, House returned to his office. He noticed the message light on his phone was flashing, so he clicked on it.

Cameron's voice exclaimed immediately, "House, I wanted to let you know Carol Davis went into labor this morning. She's at the hospital. If you have a chance, check on her. For me. I'll be there later this afternoon."

As if I had nothing else to do, he thought to himself. But when Wilson showed up five minutes later, he rushed past his friend. "Gotta go. Cameron wants me to look in on Carol Davis."

Wilson glared at his back but then his eyes narrowed as he wondered what House was yammering about. He remembered Carol was Cameron's office manager and she was pregnant, so he shrugged. This only confirmed the positive effect Cameron was having on House's relationships with people. He'd still always be a curmudgeon, but when he cared about an individual, he'd go the extra mile.

Jessica waited again until everyone else was gone for the day and then looked for something to hold a few drops of the new formulation so she could take them home with her. In a drawer in her desk she found a partially filled box of small empty vials. Perfect. She took one out and was starting to add a couple of drops to it when the door opened. She quickly put the vial behind her back and pretended to examine the bottle on her desk.

A woman with a bucket of soap suds in one hand and mop in the other entered the lab, and Jessica breathed a sigh of relief. But the woman glared at her. "What you doing here? No one stay here in evening. I clean spills from floors."

"I…I was just leaving." Jessica fumbled with the vial to stopper it and slipped it in a pant's pocket. She checked her desk to confirm she hadn't left anything incriminating on it and gathered her purse and jacket and left.

Safe in the elevator, she allowed herself to shake. Adrenaline pumped through her until she was in her car and on her way. Once, she pulled into a strip mall to stop, close her eyes and control her breathing. "I'm just not cut out for this," she told herself. She patted the pocket to make sure the vial was still there. Then she continued down the road to the diner.

The booth was empty when she arrived. She'd finished a glass of iced tea by the time Anita arrived.

"Where is anyone?" the agent asked.

Jessica shrugged then the words tumbled off her lips. "They had a new liquid composition for us to test today. I managed to collect a few drops to test."

"Are you all right?"

"I thought I'd been caught collecting it, but it was only the cleaning lady."

"Jess, maybe you've done enough. Let's see what the samples you got show." Anita shook her head and frowned. "I don't want you going back tomorrow if there's a possibility of any danger to you."

"I offered to do this for you, and I'll stick with it to the end. I'll be fine."

Anita's eyes narrowed to slits and her frown deepened. She bit her lower lip. "All right, but at the first sign of danger, get out, you hear me?" She smirked. "I wouldn't want to have to answer to your boyfriend if you're hurt. And speaking of your boyfriend..." She smiled at Wilson as he slid in next to Jessica.

"Where's everyone else?" Jessica asked, turning her head up for a kiss.

"Cameron's office manager went into labor this afternoon, if I understood House's cryptic comment earlier. They're probably both at the hospital."

"How did Nora's surgery go?" Jessica took his hand.

"It didn't. She reacted badly to the anesthetic, so we had to stop." He shrugged. "We'll reschedule."

"Poor woman." Belatedly, Jessica realized Anita didn't know who they were talking about. In fact, the identity of Wilson's patient was still a closely guarded secret, so Hadley likely didn't know and couldn't have told Anita anything about it. "Wilson's treating a woman with cancer. They were scheduled to operate today."

Anita nodded.

"I got another sample for House to have analyzed." Jess patted her pocket. "But I guess it can wait until we see him."

The team and Hadley arrived, and sorted themselves into seats in the booth. Jacobs was grinning. "Carol had a boy. House and Cameron will stay a little longer but said they'd join us here."

"How you women can do it will always be a mystery to me." Simpson rolled his eyes.

Jessica laughed at her brother. "And you call yourself a doctor."

They ordered dinner, most opting for the special of chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes. House and Cameron finally arrived and they played musical seats again.

While they waited for their food, Magnani asked Anita, "How's your investigation going."

"I got a couple of new leads today. Can't say much but it looks like we'll be able to wrap this up in three or four weeks."

"So soon?" Hadley blurted.


	93. Chapter 93

This is by far the longest story I've written, and probably should have ended twenty or thirty chapters ago. I'm going to try to end it in another five or so, but after a break there'll be more.

 **Chapter 93.**

Anita looked at Hadley and nodded. "Yes, we should be finished with the investigation in a few weeks."

"And then you'll go back to D.C.?"

"It'll depend on whether or not I have to stick around as we press charges but eventually I'll go back. You knew that would happen eventually, didn't you?" Anita took Hadley's hand, an intimate gesture, ignoring the other people around them. They all focused on their plates while the two women stared at each other.

Hadley seemed to shake something off. "Of course I knew. You have your career and I have mine." She shrugged. "Although, I'm not tied to this town."

House glanced up with a frown.

"We don't have to talk about this now," Anita said. "Anything can happen between now and when I actually leave."

Cameron was the one to change the topic. "Carol's baby is the cutest thing."

"Aren't all babies cute?" Simpson asked.

"He's got her big blue eyes," Cameron went on as if he hadn't said anything.

House rolled his eyes. "You know perfectly well many babies have blue eyes when they're born. They'll probably change."

"Well, he's still cute. Carol and Seth are deliriously happy." Cameron grinned.

"They'd been trying for a while, hadn't they?" Jacobs asked. "Of course they're thrilled."

"What will you do with her gone?" Magnani asked Cameron.

"Naomi Briggs has been training to take Carol's place during her maternity leave. She'll do fine."

"But then what happens when Carol returns?"

"I doubt it'll be hard for a highly trained office manager to find another job." Cameron looked pointedly at House.

A hint of a smile was quickly covered up as he took an enormous bite of food.

"Wait, Wilson, weren't you scheduled to operate today?" Simpson asked. "I know we're not supposed to know who the patient was..." he implied they all knew, "...but how'd it go?"

"It didn't." Wilson explained again how the patient reacted to the anesthetic.

"Poor woman!" Jacobs said.

"We'll reschedule for later this week."

Jacobs put her fork down. "But you're still coming to work at the hospital, aren't you?"

He nodded.

"Dr. House, were you able to take my sample to the lab today?" Jessica asked.

"They're working on it."

"Good. I, uh, got another sample to analyze." Jessica took out the vial and held it out to him. "This time a liquid."

He took it, swirled the liquid in the vial, and pocketed it.

As House and Cameron drove back to Edna's that evening, she said, "It's been an eventful day."

"You could say that."

"Glad everything went well for Carol." She smiled.

He glanced at her and his body stiffened.

"Relax. We've had this conversation before. You seem to think seeing Carol pregnant and now meeting her little boy would bring out my desire for children of my own." She smirked.

He was silent.

"Well, I won't deny that I found that baby adorable, but that doesn't mean I want to follow in Carol's footsteps." His continued silence prompted her to change the subject. "Too bad about Nora. I hope they can find an anesthetic she can tolerate."

"It wasn't only the anesthetist's fault. Lewis might have gone on with the surgery if Wilson hadn't told them to reverse sedation."

"Is Lewis the tall heavy-set guy with the graying red hair?" She tilted her head.

"Yeah. He's an idiot. And with Wilson around, everyone will see how much of one."

"So you're glad Wilson's joining the hospital staff."

"Of course I am."

She chuckled. "You fought it so long, I was beginning to wonder."

"Shoulda known I'd accept the inevitable. Eventually."

The chuckle became a full-fledged laugh. "He'll thrive in this town. Guess he and Jess will start looking for a place to live. It's gotten kinda crowded at the team's house."

"Thirteen spends most of her time with Anita."

"When are you going to stop calling her that?"

He grinned. "Never."

They'd reached the house and parked on the driveway. The lights were off in the kitchen, but there was always a nightlight to help them find their way to the stairs down to their room.

For once House was up before Cameron the next morning.

"Where's the fire?" she asked, wiping sleep from her eyes. She glanced at her watch. "You're never up this early."

"How'd you like to take a spin out to the house before breakfast?"

That got her up. She showered and dressed as quickly as possible. They were out the door by seven thirty and on the road to the construction site.

Will and his crew, minus Seth of course, were already hard at work. Will turned from giving instructions to a painter. "Come to see our progress?"

"No, we're here to tell you to start all over," House said.

Cameron slapped his arm and grinned at Will. "It looks great. You've done a fantastic job."

House rolled his eyes. "He built us the house we asked him to build. That's his job."

Will laughed, a deep, warm sound. "You heard about Seth's wife? What am I saying? Of course you did. You were probably there!"

"House was. I arrived after the fact. Adorable boy."

"Yeah, so I've heard. We'll go over tonight and see for ourselves." He pointed to the house. "Wanna look inside?"

"We don't have much time," Cameron said. "But we'd love to."

Will led them through the front door. Cameron automatically took House's hand and squeezed it. "Incredible. Everything we asked for. Every detail is perfect." They walked through the rooms.

House didn't say anything, but his mouth hung open.

"Are you sure you don't want to change anything?" Will asked.

"Oh, nothing." Cameron finally dropped House's hand when they entered the kitchen and she felt a need to run her fingers over the granite counters and island. "Just beautiful." A sense of awe filled her voice. "With a kitchen like this, I may even get serious about cooking."

"Uh-uh." House shook his head and pointed to his chest. "This is mine! You'd probably cook some of those frou frou dishes, like the contestants on those cooking shows you watch."

"You watch 'em with me." She assumed the Cameron crossed-arm stance.

"Oh, unclench. We can cook together."

A smile blossomed across her face. "Yeah, that would be perfect." She relaxed then continued to examine the kitchen.

House glanced at his watch. "All this cooking talk is making me hungry."

Cameron sighed. "Okay, let's get you fed." She put a hand through his arm and they left the house together. She waved to Will and got in the car.

House drove them directly to the diner. Their booth was full, but the team members were finished eating and ready to head to the hospital. House and Cameron sat and downed their first cups of coffee before their food was even on the table.

"Why were you so late?" Wilson asked. "Or shouldn't I ask?"

"You got it all wrong. We went to inspect the house," Cameron said.

Jessica grinned. "Didn't I tell you that's where they were? Well, I have to head out too. Don't want to be late. Just hope today is the last one."

"I'll take your latest sample to the lab this morning," House said. "They should have the analysis on the first one by now."

Jessica hoped the samples she'd gotten the last two days would be sufficient. All she'd have to do now was keep a low profile until she was certain Anita didn't need anything else.

She drove to the factory and entered the laboratory building.

Her nemesis from the next table waited for the elevator and frowned when he saw her. "You still here?" His sneer spoiled whatever good looks he had.

"Sure, why not?" She pasted a fake smile on her face. "I still want to help animals by perfected medications for them."

He rolled his eyes. "Give it a few weeks, and you'll run screaming."

"Oh, yeah? Than why are you still here? How long have you been testing drugs for dogs and cats?"

He looked around, but no one was listening. "Two years. I stayed too long to make a clean break, so now I'm stuck."

"No one's stuck in a job they don't like."

He chuckled but there was no mirth in it. "You should get out now while you still can."

"Do they have something on you, did you do something they can have the cops charge you with?"

"Keep your voice down!" He sighed. "This place is a cesspool. Get out while you can."

Jessica thought fast. "We'd better get to the lab now, but would you tell me more at lunchtime?"

He stared at her. "You need more convincing. Okay. But not here in the cafeteria. You know the diner in town?"

"Do I?" Jessica grin, then schooled her face to be more impassive. "Yes, I do."

"We can go there. Names Mortimer by the way. Dr. David Mortimer. I'll give you better reasons to leave when we meet."

Naomi sat at Carol's desk when Cameron entered the clinic. She started to get up, but Cameron stopped her.

"Looks like you can get comfortable there. Carol had her baby yesterday. A boy. So cute!" Cameron grinned.

A smile spread across Naomi's face. "How wonderful. She and Seth must be thrilled."

"They are. Since she didn't give birth until late yesterday, she'll be in the hospital until tomorrow morning, but both mother and baby are doing well."

Naomi nodded.

"So it's just you and me for a few weeks."

"I hope I can handle it." Naomi swallowed loudly.

"Oh, you can."

The first patient of the day arrived.

Wilson entered the hospital and headed for Nora's room. He stopped at the nurses station to get the latest schedule and find out when they'd rescheduled the surgery. Dr. Meisner was also checking. "You'll be able to operate tomorrow. The anesthetist thinks she has another drug."

"How's your wife taking what happened yesterday?"

"She was depressed at first, worried that the surgery would never happen, but I was able to calm her fears. Why don't you go and tell her the same thing? It should help." Meisner put a hand on his shoulder. "She likes you."

Wilson nodded and walked the twenty-five steps to Nora's room. She lay against a partially raised bed with her eyes closed, but Wilson could see the tear stains on her cheeks. "Nora, may I come in?"

She opened her eyes. "Dr. Wilson. Come to tell me the same nonsense that Sandford gave me earlier?"

"What nonsense is that?" Wilson knew, of course, but wanted the patient to acknowledge her fears.

"That you'll be able to operate tomorrow." Her eyes filled with tears. "It's never going to happen, is it?"

"Nora, we just have to find an anesthetic that will work for you. Then we can operate. The anesthetist thinks she's found the right drug, so we'll try it tomorrow. But we'll monitor you carefully. Don't worry. It'll happen."

She swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. "Promise?"

"Do you trust me?"

She nodded.

"I promise."

Jessica went through the motions of testing the liquid medication on several test animals. The results were the same as the day before. A few took longer to die than others, but eventually they succumbed too.

Lunchtime finally came. She grabbed her purse and left the building, driving to the diner. If she got there before Mortimer she could ask those who knew her not to give her away.

Most of the customers were strangers. She had a few words with Linda, and with Pete who was eating lunch at the counter, then selected a different booth further down than the usual one. Mortimer arrived soon after.

"Ever eat here before?" he asked.

"Once or twice," she lied. "You?"

"Not often, even though the food is very good."

Linda approached with coffee and her order pad. "Coffee or something else to drink?"

Jessica opted for her usual iced tea and Dr. Mortimer allowed Linda to fill his coffee cup.

"The specials today are a turkey melt sandwich and minestrone soup." Linda put the coffee pot down and tapped her pen on her pad. "You can have half a sandwich with a cup of the soup or a salad."

"Sounds good," Jess said. "The half sandwich and soup for me."

"Make that two." Mortimer smiled.

Once Linda was gone, Jessica asked, "What did you want to tell me?"


	94. Chapter 94

I'm still hoping to end this story in another three or four chapters, but keep getting new ideas for threads for this story. Then after a break there'll be another chapter.

 **Chapter 94.**

Mortimer sighed. "I honestly thought Marshalls was the kind of company that was trying to help mankind, or at least animal-kind. It didn't take long for me to realize they were just regurgitating the formulations they'd developed years before. They just had to add some filler that wasn't in them before so they could re-patent them. Not only that. A few of the medications they touted as being better than any others? They actually made the animals sicker. That way, the owners had to come back for cures for the side effects they caused."

He paused to catch his breath, and Jessica said, "The ones we've tested lately killed the test animals."

He nodded. "That's been happening more and more in the last three or four months. They don't even care that it'll drive customers away. Of course, our tests are on lab mice and rats. The larger dogs and cats aren't killed, only made very sick." He shook his head. "There's nothing we can do about it. If we blow a whistle on the company, they'll say it's our shoddy work."

Jessica glanced toward the diner door as Anita entered. She quickly shifted her gaze back to Mortimer. "If it would help, would you be willing to testify about what you've seen?"

He frowned and stiffened. "Not sure I want to get involved. I mean, what'll happen to me if I do? I have a wife and kids to think about."

"I haven't seen enough to swear to anything, but you've witnessed so much and that story needs to be told, if only to protect animals." Jess bit her lip, trying to think of what might convince him.

Cameron entered the diner for lunch and sat down opposite Anita in the booth. "Who's the guy with Jessica?"

Anita shrugged. "Don't ask me. I came in, and there they were. Conversation's pretty intense, though. Think one of us should go over?"

Cameron shook her head. "Jess knows we're here if she needs us. Any more evidence against the pharma company? I mean besides what Jessica has gathered."

"Seems to be more going on than a shady company and tainted drugs. We were able to get a copy of the company's tax returns as well as other financial records." She shook her head. "They don't jibe."

Cameron looked up, toward the booth where Jessica sat with the stranger. They stood and approached.

"Dr. Cameron, Anita, this is Dr. Mortimer," Jessica said. "He's a colleague from the pharmaceutical company and has been there a while."

"And?" Anita raised an eyebrow.

"And you'll be interested in what he has to say."

For the next ten minutes as they all ate, Mortimer told Anita and Cameron everything he'd told Jessica.

When he ran out of steam, Anita asked, "Did you keep a record of all of this?"

"Lady, are you kidding? I have a family to protect."

Anita persisted. "I'll need more than your word about what's happening. Does the lab keep any records?" She pointed to Jessica. "Jess wasn't able to find anything."

"You looked? When?" Mortimer's voice became shrill. "Do you want to get yourself killed?"

"I looked in the filing cabinets in our lab one evening, but there's nothing there besides personnel records."

Mortimer's shoulder's relaxed. "That's okay then."

"Are there records?" Anita asked.

"Well, of course there are." He bit his lower lip. "They keep some in the formulations lab where Dr. Simpson got the new compositions yesterday." He turned to her. "I knew there was something fishy about you. A doctor named Jessica Simpson." His laugh was hollow.

She smiled slightly. "You should meet my brother Bart."

Cameron and Anita laughed. "Her name is really Jessica Simpson," Cameron confirmed.

House spent the morning on the phone. He had lots to set in motion. Once he decided on his plan for the future, he was itching to get started.

There were three properties on the market in Shelby that would do. Two were storefronts and the third an old house with a former dentist's office built onto the front of it. Any one of them would work. He'd need equipment and staff, but already had ideas about those, especially the staff. He'd stop at each of the places on his way home and decide which would be best. Yes, this was going to happen. He grinned.

Wilson left Nora in a slightly better frame of mind than when he entered her room. It helped him feel more positive himself. He found several messages for him at the nurses station. How did people know he was there?

He sifted through them. The one he wanted to see the most was from the anesthetist. She thought she had something that would work, but asked about the fainting spells Nora had only a few days earlier. Wilson wondered why he'd forgotten about that, but it was important. He was glad the anesthetist noticed it in Nora's medical history, even thought the culprit had turned out to be gardenias. The chemical composition producing the scent in flowers and perfume was completely unrelated to any anesthetic, but when people had an allergy or sensitivity to one compound, they could have one to others as well.

Among his other messages was one from the hospital HR department. They had several forms for him to complete before he was officially on staff. He'd stop for them on his way home. But meanwhile it was lunchtime. Falling back into the old routine of having lunch with House was one of the perks of working in the same hospital again.

Wilson was surprised to find House totally absorbed in a phone conversation. It could have been Cameron on the other end, but from the expression on his BFF's face he doubted it.

Still, he waited outside the open door until House hung up the phone before knocking and taking a few steps inside. "Ready for lunch?"

"Is that even a question?" House bounded out of his chair, grabbing his cane as he did. "Lead the way, my good man."

Wilson chuckled as they walked side-by-side to the elevator.

"Nora ready for surgery tomorrow?" House asked.

"How'd you know she was rescheduled...scratch that. The mighty House knows all."

"That doesn't answer the question."

"You actually want to know?"

"Well, yeah. I wouldn't have asked otherwise."

Wilson grimaced. "She can't believe it'll happen."

House nodded. "Certainly after her experience yesterday, you can't blame her."

"No, but a positive attitude always helps with surgery and the recovery afterward."

They squeezed onto the crowded elevator, and House reached out a long arm to push the button.

Wilson wondered whether the cafeteria would be crowded too. He didn't have to wonder long. The food line snaked out the door.

"I'll find a table," House said, taking off without waiting for a reply.

Wilson resigned himself to the wait and to pay for both of their meals. Why had he thought that working in the same hospital with House and having lunch with him every day would be a perk?

Cameron returned to the clinic to find three patients waiting for her.

"Doctor, Mrs. Fernandez was here first," Naomi said.

"Then if no one else has a pressing problem, I'll see her right away." She motioned with her hand and led Mrs. Fernandez into the exam room. "How is your shoulder?"

"Shoulder is fine. But my foot, not so good." The middle-aged woman sighed as she hoisted herself onto the exam table. She lifted her foot and allowed Cameron to untie the Ked she wore on it.

Cameron took off the shoe. "Is that any better?"

Mrs. Fernandez stared at her foot. "Yes, a little."

"Your shoe was too tight. But I am concerned that your food it swollen." Cameron removed the sock and turned the foot this way and that. "Do you stand a lot?"

"I stand all the time. How else can I do my job?"

"That's right. You work at the department store in town. I've seen you there." Cameron considered the options. "I'm not going to tell you to quit your job, but you should soak your feet every evening while you watch TV."

"Soak?"

Cameron took out her prescription pad. "Get this from the pharmacist, dissolve it in warm water and soak your feet. Also, cut back on salt, even a little, okay?"

"And this will help?"

"Yes." Cameron put the sock back on and tied the shoe looser. She also examined the other foot. The shoe wasn't as tight and the foot wasn't as swollen. "You should also see a podiatrist. I'll give you a referral to one in Snow Hill. Unless you'd prefer Salisbury."

"Snow Hill will be good."

Cameron saw her out and called the next patient.

When they finished eating lunch, House asked Wilson, "Wanna come with when I get the lab results on the samples your girlfriend stole?"

"She didn't steal them. Exactly."

"Oh, no? Bet they'll help Anita's case against the pharmaceutical company."

"That's not a bet I'm willing to take. Let's go see what the analysis shows."

Instead of heading up to House's office, they took the elevator down to the basement lab. A young man House didn't know was at the intake desk. "Can I help you?" he asked.

"I left some samples with Lucy Newman for analysis." House smiled at him. "I hope she's finished with the tests."

The tech with the nameplate Josh Perez narrowed his eyes. "And you are?"

"Dr. Greg House." House pointed to his own hospital ID, hidden under his jacket.

Without another word Perez disappeared into the recesses of the lab. After a few minutes of House tapping his cane and Wilson reading the notices on the wall, Perez returned with Lucy in tow.

She beamed. "Dr. House, glad you stopped back. I have your results. These are for animals, right?"

"Right."

"Well, there's nothing inherently harmful included in the formulations of either the tablet or the liquid, but the dosages are very high, especially for small animals." She handed House a printed list of ingredients. "Fine for large dogs, maybe horses or cows, but not for the smaller breeds of dogs. What kind of dog does your friend have?"

"My friend?" House remembered he'd said he'd gotten them from a friend with a dog. "Oh, a yellow lab." It was the first breed he could think of.

"Then they should be all right to treat arthritis in that dog."

The ingredients on the list clued House into the fact the meds were for arthritis, so he wasn't surprised. "One more thing. What would happen if they were given to, say, a chihuahua?"

She took a deep breath and shook her head before letting it out. "Either of them would kill it."

"Well, thanks. Um, great work."

He took the prints and walked away, forgetting Wilson was with him. His friend rushed to catch up. "House, that's great evidence for Anita."

"If we had a clear tracking of the pills to the lab. But if Jessica can get more samples, the FBI lab should get the same results."

"Wouldn't it be better if a trained agent got it?"

"Worried about your girlfriend's safety?"

"Wouldn't you worry if it was Cameron?"

House winced. He shouldn't tease his pal about Jessica now that he could relate to how Wilson felt. But he wasn't going to say that.

As they got on the elevator, Thirteen got off.

House held the door open so he could ask, "Where you going in such a hurry?"

"I'm working temporarily in pediatrics. Bringing samples down from two patients."

He let the door close. As they rode up, he couldn't help thinking about Thirteen's answer. It wasn't that unusual for samples to go to the lab for analysis, so why did he have the feeling he shouldn't dismiss these?


	95. Chapter 95

I'll be out of town starting tomorrow for several days, so I probably won't have a chapter to post next week. See you in a couple of weeks with more.

 **Chapter 95.**

Would the day never end? Cameron had been swamped most of the afternoon with cases of flu-like symptoms and unexplained rashes. Many patients had been high school kids. Was there something contagious going around there?

None of the cases were severe. Still, when Hannah showed up to help out in the afternoon, she was relieved but also had a few questions for the teen. "How was attendance at school today?"

"What do you mean?" Hannah frowned.

"Well, were there a lot of kids out?"

"Yeah, guess there were. I don't pay much attention to that."

Cameron thought back to the problems they had in June. "You feeling okay?" She put the back of her hand to Hannah's forehead.

"Me? Sure, I'm fine. If I wasn't I wouldn't come to the clinic to work."

"I'm glad you're here," Cameron said. "We've had quite a few patients this afternoon with colds and flu."

Hannah pointed out the door to the waiting room. "I noticed. My mom is working frantically."

"It's her second day without Carol, but she's doing fine."

The teen grinned. "I'm proud of her."

Cameron chuckled. "You should tell her on your way to get the next patient."

She nodded and did as Cameron said.

They examined and treated another dozen patients by the time Naomi had to leave to meet Sarah and Jacob off the school bus. Hannah remained after her mother left, but at five, Cameron sent her home. Two more patients waited. She tended to them and sent them off with prescriptions.

Jessica worked quietly at her lab table that afternoon. Anita had asked Mortimer and her to surreptitiously take notes that would help identify who knew what about the operation of the pharmaceutical company. Jess chuckled inside, watching Mortimer take his spying duties seriously, writing something every few minutes..

A voice interrupted her thoughts. "Dr. Simpson, which animals have you tested the latest formulation on?" asked another man in the room, Dr. Lombardy.

Mortimer jotted another note down, probably the name of the man.

Jess pointed to the dead and dying mice. "I'm afraid this encapsulated liquid isn't any better than earlier ones I've tested."

"Are you sure you aren't giving them two capsules instead of one?" the man demanded.

"Yes, I'm sure. Doctor, there's something in these that's killing test subjects. And it's not right!" She realized her voice rose with the last words, and forced herself to smile. "I'm sure we'll find the right formulation eventually."

The man stared at her a moment longer and then nodded. "Well, continue your tests."

"Of course." Gaze fixed on her table, Jessica took out one more capsule and reached into the cage for another white mouse.

Once the man walked away, she allowed herself to look toward Mortimer with a worried frown.

Mortimer shrugged and went back to work.

Less than an hour later, another man entered their lab. He stood behind each of the doctors and researchers in turn, watching what they did.

"Mr. Tolliver, can I help you?" Mortimer asked.

Jessica remembered that he was the man who gave House and Cameron a tour of the facility.

"Not especially, Dr. Mortimer. Just making sure everyone's doing their jobs." Once he'd examined the work of each of them, Tolliver left. And Mortimer added another name to his list.

House knew he had to speak with Thirteen at some point and tell her what he had in mind for the future. She'd worked well with his team, or rather Jacobs and Simpson when Magnani was in the hospital recovering. And they'd all lived together in that big rental house.

Would she follow Anita wherever the agent went after the Marshall case was wrapped up? It wouldn't be long before Anita had enough evidence and ole Owen and his company would be indicted.

How could he convince Hadley to stay? It wasn't his usual field of expertise, dealing with other people's relationships. Except for Wilson's.

He wondered what the odds were that Anita might stay in Shelby. Or Snow Hill. She'd probably have to leave the bureau. Fat chance of that.

His thoughts were interrupted by the entrance of his team. The uniform grins on their faces indicated they'd solved another one. He wasn't surprised. They'd been close for a couple of days.

"Solved it," Simpson said.

"About time," House replied with a shrug.

"What do you mean? It was tricky."

"You had the diagnosis four days ago. What took you so long to confirm it?"

Jacobs gulped. "It could have been one of three things. We had to rule out the other two."

Their grins were gone, replaced by annoyed looks.

House just smirked at them.

Cameron almost fell rushing across the alley to the diner. Her mind was on the sudden uptick in flu cases. It felt good to sit down in the booth opposite Anita. "You still here?" she quipped.

"Been out and back again. Also talked to my boss about Dr. Mortimer's revelations earlier." She clasped her hands in front of her on the table. "With a bit more evidence, he thinks we'll have a strong case against Marshall and his company."

"I hope the analysis of the samples Jess got will be admissible."

"There's no clear chain of evidence, but if the analysis proves helpful, we'll arrange to get more pills and capsules." She pursed her lips and studied Cameron. "What do you know about the land that abuts the property where you're building your house?"

"I know Marshall has a facility not far from us. You're saying his property is actually next to ours?"

Anita nodded.

Cameron wasn't too surprised. "Chief Anderson found out the tracks from vandals at our place matched tires from pickups used by that facility. But we've wondered why Owen Marshall would target us or Will. Besides the election, that is."

"Maybe he and his company think you could see something nefarious going on at the plant."

"Nefarious, huh?" Cameron grinned. "House would love that. It would appeal to him to have something nefarious going on nearby."

That evening, House left the hospital early. He wanted to do a drive-by of the three properties he had in mind. He started with the storefront closest to the town square. The stores on either side were a laundromat and a pizza joint, the latter not the classy restaurant like DiMonaco's but a hole in the wall by-the-slice place. Not quite what he had in mind.

The second storefront was better, sandwiched between a beauty salon and a pet shop. He opened a window of the car and the odors hit him. He scratched that one off his list.

The third wasn't far from Pamela's elegant house, a one-time mansion with the front room and porch converted to an office. The house itself was rather pretty, with elegant curlicues framing a blue-gray exterior. The siding and windows looked in good shape. If he and Cameron weren't already building their own more modern place, he would even consider living there.

The price of the third was slightly higher than he'd planned to spend, but if he rented out the rooms behind the office, that would offset the cost. He made a note of the agent and phone number listed on the for sale sign so he could call for an inspection of the interior. He checked his pocket for the lab results as he finally headed for the diner.

Cameron and Anita were eating salads when he arrived. Anita let him in to his usual seat, and he pulled out the reports.

"You're gonna like these," he said. "Ingredients are just shy of being lethal for all animals, and could prove so for smaller ones."

"That's why Jessica's test mice died." Anita smiled as she read the conclusions from the lab tech.

Cameron wiped a drop of dressing off her chin. "Anita and I were talking about how to get new samples with a clearer chain of evidence."

House nodded. "Yes, you'll need those, but also to have Agency labs verify what the hospital techs found."

"It'll have to be someone other than Jessica or Mortimer, won't it?" Cameron asked.

House's eyes narrowed. "Who's Mortimer?"

"He works with Jess. Gave us an earful lunchtime."

"Do tell!" House grinned.

Anita handed the report to Cameron. "I'll still need proof of what he says, but he's given us new lines of inquiry to follow."

House's team burst through the door with Hadley. "Got a new patient," Simpson announced.

Magnani guffawed. "I swear Lembach's lying in wait with 'em so she can present them to us as soon as we finished the last one."

"Good, it'll keep you busy for a while."

"Not gonna help us again?" Jacobs had a twinkle in her eye. "C'mon. You knew the diagnosis of this last patient before we confirmed it. How are we ever going to learn if you don't work with us?"

He looked at her debating with himself what he should say. "Ask Hadley to work on it with you."

"You ask her." Simpson winked.

"Since you called me Hadley, I just might do it. But something tells me there's more to your suggestion, House."

Cameron looked toward the ceiling, pretending to be completely uninterested in the conversation.

When Wilson arrived, in fact, he found all eyes on House. "What did you do now?"

"Moi? I didn't do a thing. Anita likes the lab results."

"That was two or three conversations ago," Anita said. "These guys don't even know what you're talking about. Show them." She tapped the pages still in front of House.

He handed them to Hadley first, since Wilson already saw them.

"Guess the dose is critical." She shared it with the team.

Jessica arrived while they were still perusing it.

"You and your buddy at work find out anything else?" Anita asked.

"He's keeping a list of anyone who appears interested in our work, including Mr. Tolliver.

"Ah, Tolliver. I knew we'd hear that name again." House smirked. "I gather you're now working with another doctor to gather information?"

"Yes." Jessica glanced at Wilson. "Mortimer's been there a while, knows a lot more about the ins and outs than I do. And he's seen things change."

"Jessica, we'll need to get more samples but in a way to maintain a rigid chain so there's no question." Anita pointed to the papers in Magnani's hands. "House's lab results indicate that we should pursue the drugs further."

"Good. What do you want me to do?"

"Let me check whether there's someone who can take over for you. You've done your part."

"I finish what I start," Jess insisted.

Anita shook her head. "It's getting too dangerous. If Tolliver is nosing around you..."

"...He's not. He was checking on everyone in the lab, not just me." She started to say something else, but stopped.

"This is getting too dangerous." Wilson looked from Jess to Anita. "She should quit now."

"That would look too suspicious. But if she just does what she's asked, and someone else takes over the spying, she'll be okay." Anita wrote something on a paper napkin. "Did anyone else pay special attention to you today?"

Jessica hesitated. "Dr. Lombardy asked about the animals I'd used in my tests. But I've heard him ask the others the same question."

"Mortimer jot down his name?"

"Yes. Since he talked to you, Mortimer's constantly taking notes and writing down names. He's acting more suspiciously than I am."

While they ate, their conversation turned to lighter topics. That is until House asked Hadley, "How many flu cases did you see today?"

"Too many. That's why I wouldn't mind working on something more complex with your team."

"Are there flu cases coming into the hospital?" Cameron asked. "Because I saw quite a few in the clinic today. Hannah said there were a number of students out sick."

"Do you think it's an unusual amount? It is flu season, after all."

"Don't know yet. But if the trend continues, we may be looking at a severe outbreak."

"Can you handle the cases you're seeing?" Wilson asked Cameron. "I can help after tomorrow for a week or so until my official start date at the hospital."

"Are you still scheduled to operate on..." Cameron stopped herself and looked around at the group.

Magnani waved a hand. "Go ahead, Dr. Cameron. Everyone knows it's Dr. Meisner's wife who's Wilson's patient."

She nodded. "You'll operate on Nora tomorrow?"

"If the anesthetist's right about the drug she's selected. The longer we wait, the more nervous Nora will become."

"Why should she be nervous?" Jacobs asked.

"When the previous anesthetic caused problems, she thought back to an issue she had with scents a couple of weeks ago. Just a whiff of gardenias made her faint."


	96. Chapter 96

Sorry for taking so long to post this.

 **Chapter 96.**

"Anita thinks the vandalism at our house happened because we're building so near Marshall's facility," Cameron said as House drove them to Edna's after dinner.

"I hadn't wanted to think that, but she may be right." He didn't say any more.

"Shouldn't we do something about that?"

"What? Look, Anita's close to completing her case against him and his company. After that, it shouldn't be an issue."

"So we should just let it go?" She was surprised he wasn't being more aggressive.

"We have more important things to consider." He glanced at her.

She thought about what those would be, but the only question she had was, "Why were you so late this evening?"

He ruminated over that, but finally admitted, "I was scouting out a few properties."

"For your new office? Or for Wilson and Jessica?"

His eyebrows shot up. "There's an idea. But I'll let them pick out their own new abode."

"Did you find something suitable?"

"Yes. You know that house on Walters St. off the town square? The one that's been on the market for a while? Used to have a dentist's office in the front part."

"Yeah, I think I know which one you mean. That's it? That's the only one you're considering?"

"The others I looked at won't work for one reason or another. I'll arrange to see the interior this weekend. Wanna come with?" He smiled.

"Sure." She grinned. "Wonder why no one's snatched it up before this."

"The price is kinda high. But if we rent out the rooms in the rest of the house, it shouldn't be too bad."

"So now you'll be a landlord in addition to running a medical practice?"

"Why not?"

"Because it's hard work and takes time. You have to vet the people you rent to, do the upkeep, keep the rooms clean including the bathrooms, hound people who don't pay their rent on time." She stopped and smirked. "That last part won't be hard for you, but there's a lot to making something like that work."

He just nodded.

"But you already knew that. So what's the plan? Who are you going to hire to manage the office and who'll take care of the rental rooms?" She sat back in her seat. "Because if you think I'll do any of it, you're mistaken."

"Relax. I have a few ideas for the staff I'll need. You already offered one of your two office managers, right?"

She nodded.

"I know Seth is working for Will now, but he'd be good to have on the payroll as someone I could call to take care of maintenance of the building inside and out."

"Go on." Cameron was skeptical about where he was going with this.

"We both know what a great landlady Edna has been. She could easily handle that part of what's needed."

She blinked. "You're not going to ask her to clean a huge house full of rooms, are you?"

"No, of course not." He waved one hand then returned it to the steering wheel. "But anyone could do that job."

"I hope you know what you're getting into." She sighed. They'd reached the house. The kitchen was dark. "Guess you'll have to wait to talk to Edna about your plans for her until tomorrow morning," Cameron said.

"Not ready for that yet. First I'll have to buy the property. Wanna see it? We can go tomorrow morning before breakfast."

"I was hoping to go out to our house."

"We were just there."

"Yes, but there's something we have to investigate out there."

"Let Anita. And Anderson."

"But Marshall's other facility isn't just near our place. It's adjacent to it. And, remember, those tire prints belong to a pickup owned by the company."

A grin spread across his face. "Okay. Worth checking."

"That's what I thought."

Although House had all the answers for Cameron, he wasn't at all sure he was doing the right thing buying the house and setting up his own practice in town. He tossed and turned all night, at first one and then another obstacle came to mind. Edna would be the perfect person to manage the rental rooms, but she wasn't exactly a youngster. She liked her life in retirement, and had her own house to care for.

But there was no one else he could think of who he would trust to do it. She could pick the housekeeping staff to clean the rooms, including the office, exam rooms and waiting room, rather than do it all herself.

He wondered who had taken care of the property, kept it looking as good as it did. That was a question he should ask when he met with the real estate agent.

His thoughts turned to what Cameron said concerning their house.

"I'm glad Anita doesn't need you to spy anymore," Wilson told Jessica that night.

"It's been fun," she replied. "Scary but fun. Happy I could help her. If she needs me to do more, I wouldn't be opposed."

He frowned. "No. No more. It's too dangerous."

"Jimmy, you don't get to make that decision for me."

"But I do get to voice my opinion." The frown had turned into a glare. "And I don't want you to go back there, let alone continue your sleuthing."

"Oh, Jimmy." She put a hand on his arm. "What could happen?"

Wilson groaned. "Famous last words."

"Relax. Mortimer's right by my side." She chuckled. "In fact, he'll probably insist on doing all the heavy lifting, or in this case, stealthiest detective work."

Wilson frowned. "About this Mortimer..."

She grinned. "Don't go getting jealous, either. He's happily married, with kids. And he's gung ho about helping Anita, but he'll take precautions because of his wife and children."

"Just so long as he doesn't point fingers at you if he gets into trouble."

"Anita will probably send in an agent for the last part of this, anyway." She forced a smile. "Relax. It's all over but the arrests."

"You're spouting cliches faster than House ever did."

She laughed. "Nice to be compared to your BFF."

"Speaking of him, what do you suppose he's up to?" Wilson asked. Maybe she'd have a better idea than he did.

"What do you mean?"

"He's been acting weird."

"Weirder than usual?"

Wilson nodded. "He'd been so opposed to me working at the same hospital, but now he's my biggest supporter. And he seems anxious for Hadley to stay in Shelby when Anita leaves."

"If Anita leaves. But I see what you mean." Her brows drew together. "Could he be leaving the hospital?"

"He's happy there, has a top notch team and a good relationship with the hospital administrator. Why would he leave?"

"So you can take a job there."

Wilson had to think hard about that. It seemed so strange.

The next morning, House and Cameron got up extremely early, especially for him. They showered and dressed quickly and set out for their expedition, first to their house and then to House's potential new office. He still had to arrange to meet with the realtor, but they could look around the outside of the old mansion.

They reached their almost-finished new home even before Will and his crew. Cameron followed House around the house carefully, although the workers had been good about removing any debris.

"Let's head out to the far perimeter of our property," House suggested.

Cameron didn't hesitate to agree. The ground was covered with low-growing shrubs and natural ground-cover. No paths showed the way. They hadn't gone far before they saw a large one-story building, probably the facility they were looking for. The barbed wire marking the property boundary was almost invisible, but they saw it soon enough.

"Closer than I thought," House said.

Cars and pickups approached the building from the east, filled with workers heading for the plant.

"So what don't they want us to see?" House asked. He squinted at the building, then at the ground closer to them.

"I should ask Anderson whether he found any tire prints crossing from our land to that of the factory," Cameron mused.

"Maybe he found more than that."

She shook her head. "He would have told us." She took one last look at their new neighbors, then headed back to the car.

House's long strides caught up to her quickly. "Next stop, my new digs."

"I thought this was." She pointed to the house.

"This is home. But the mansion's my new home away from home, just as the clinic is yours."

She chuckled. "Right." She linked her arm in his.

Will drove up.

They waved to him, got in the car and drove back to the middle of town. House found the mansion again. The for sale sign was still up. He watched Cameron's face as she studied it and was happy to see a smile spread.

"If it's as great inside as out, it would be perfect." She opened her door and stepped out onto the sidewalk then up the walkway. Steps led to a wide front porch with white columns supporting an overhang. Cameron climbed the stairs and looked around.

A swing with flowered cushions and two wicker chairs with matching ones sat on one side of the porch. On the other, three potted miniature roses bloomed, despite the fact that it was November and they hadn't been watered for a while. The door was painted a shiny blue and was flanked by wide windows.

She peered through the window on the left, but the sheer curtains were enough to prevent her from seeing inside. House had remained at the base of the stairs, so she returned to him. "So far so good. But I couldn't see much."

"I'll call the agent and make an appointment for later. Time for breakfast." House headed back to the car.

As they drove to the diner, Cameron said, "Let me know when you're meeting with the agent."

"You don't have to come with me."

"Meaning you don't want me to come."

His shoulders shrugged slightly.

She let it drop. "I'll call Anderson this morning, see what he's found out."

Their booth was empty. When Linda came over to pour their coffee, Cameron asked, "Did we miss everyone?"

"Yes. They were all in early. Dr. Wilson said he had to be at the hospital to prepare for a surgery."

House frowned. "I wanted to be there, but I doubt they'll start so early. She'll have to be prepped, and they'll be careful with her sedation."

"So you still have time to eat and drive down there."

"Yes." But he didn't look happy about it. "Linda, can I have breakfast to go? With a large coffee."

"Sure 'nuff, Doc."

Cameron smiled. Whether he was going because he cared about Wilson or about Nora, it didn't matter. He'd be unhappy if he missed the surgery. When Linda came back with a bag filled with House's breakfast, as well as a huge cup of coffee for him to fix however he wanted, she finally ordered.

House was gone less than ten minutes when Anita walked in.

"I thought you'd already eaten with everyone else," Cameron said.

Anita shook her head. "I was on the phone all morning with my boss, trying to arrange for someone to join Jessica and Mortimer at the testing facility. No luck there."

"So they'll have to continue?" The ends of Cameron's mouth turned down.

"'Fraid so. I feel so guilty now, getting them into this. I'd do it myself, but they've seen me."

"Me too," Cameron said.

"If anything happens to them..."

"They knew the risks when they agreed to spy for you. You have to be close now, right?" Cameron stirred her coffee even though she'd already done that a few times. "We went out to our house this morning and saw how close it is to the factory out there. Maybe Anderson has come up with more against them."

"It may not be enough. Dr. Cameron, this is turning into a bit of a mess."

"What do Jess and Mortimer have to do to prove a clear chain of evidence that the pills are harmful?"

Anita thought a minute. "They'll have to use official evidence bags and document where and when they get the samples, then they have to immediately hand those over to me to take to the agency lab up in Baltimore."

"That seems straight-forward enough."

Anita shook her head. "The trick will be supplying them with the evidence bags and getting them directly to me."


	97. Chapter 97

Things are coming to a head in this story. I might be able to finish it by Chapter 100.

 **Chapter 97.**

Jessica felt totally exposed as she worked in her lab that day. Someone would figure out at any moment that she was helping a federal agent get the goods on Marshall Pharmaceuticals. Her hands shook every time she picked up another test animals or vial. She figured that alone made her look guilty of something.

Every time she glanced at Mortimer, he looked just as guilty. He wrung his hands periodically, his eyes darting around the room.

She told herself they hadn't done anything wrong. On the contrary, everything they did was to counter the evil being done by the company. Still, every time the door to the lab opened, she jumped, then forced herself to breathe slowly and deeply. And swallow the lump in her throat. But no amount of swallowing would ease the tension in her neck.

By lunchtime, she was ready to bolt but knew she had to remain. As she entered the employee cafeteria, her cellphone rang.

It was Anita. "Meet me by your car. I have evidence bags for you and Mortimer."

Jess glanced to either side of her. No one she knew. She eased out of the room and headed to the parking lot as slowly and steadily as possible. Anita stood beside her car. She handed Jessica a handful of plastic bags and gave her instructions for how to document whatever she put inside. "Give a few to Mortimer, too. I'll meet you at the diner right after your work shift is over, and take the evidence directly to the lab in Baltimore."

"Okay. I don't know why today has been so much harder than the last few. I'm much more nervous, and Mortimer looks like he is too."

"Jessica, I'm so grateful for what you're doing and I appreciate how difficult it can be."

"See you later." Jess tucked the bags in her pants pocket before returning to the cafeteria for a quick lunch. Then she headed back to the lab, hoping she'd have a chance to pass a few of the bags to Mortimer.

House entered the observation room as they wheeled Nora into the operating theater. Wilson was already there, recognizable even in scrubs and a mask, and surrounded by a team of doctors and nurses. House wasn't alone behind the window above; as before, Meisner watched the proceedings intently.

House wondered why the hospital administrator wasn't more nervous.

The anesthetist began administering the sedation, periodically glancing at the readouts of Nora's vitals. No dips or sudden spikes. Seconds ticked by on the round clock on the wall near the door. The operating room was silent except for occasional simple orders for scalpels, forceps and sponges.

An hour and a half after they started, Wilson said, "Close her up." Rather than leave immediately as most surgeons did, he remained to watch.

House met him out in the hall after he'd stripped off his bloodied gloves and removed his scrubs and mask. He was smiling. "Textbook," he said. "After followup radiation, she should recover quickly."

"And the tumor?"

"I don't think the tumor will." Wilson chuckled at his own joke. "We'll biopsy it, but the preliminary tests showed it was cancerous. She'll have to be monitored for any recurrence, but I got all the cancer cells."

"Good." House didn't say more, but his own smile showed how relieved he was.

"In about three or four months, we can remove the growth in her brain." Wilson led the way to the elevator. "Right now I can use some caffeine and sugar."

"I know just the place to get those."

After a busy morning of flu patients, Cameron was finally free to call Anderson. Unfortunately, he wasn't in.

"Should I have him call you?" the clerk said. "He's actually out near your place, some kind of disturbance at the factory."

"Yes. Please ask him to call me when he gets back." She hoped while he was there he'd learn something that would help them nail Marshall and his company. Their trip to the site that morning had convinced her something fishy was going on, and it was connected to Anita's investigation.

No patients waited for her, but Naomi asked, "Would you like a cup of coffee? I've set up an electric machine out here so patients and their families can have some."

Cameron wondered why neither she nor Carol had thought of that. "Thanks, Naomi. That's a great idea. I'll reimburse you for the machine."

"No need. It was the one we used out at the church, but since we're no longer using the building, it just sat there."

"So no one's taken over for your husband at the church? I thought..." But Cameron realized she hadn't thought about it at all, not even to ask Naomi. "I hope the way he treated you hasn't turned you against your beliefs." She might not be religious, but that didn't keep her from encouraging others, although she knew House would applaud Naomi's quitting the church.

"Oh, no. We're going to another church even closer to our house. The one we used to go to before Matthew had a disagreement with the pastor and started his own. It's been good to see old friends again. Pastor Jones gave us a warm welcome back."

Cameron smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. But what's happening to the building you were using?"

"It was a foreclosure." Her brows drew together. "I suppose Matthew owns it. Don't know what'll happen now."

"If he isn't making payments, and I suppose you aren't either, the bank will take it back."

"I guess so." But Cameron's mind had already started down a new path.

House and Wilson sat across from each other in the almost empty cafeteria, a cup of coffee and a piece of pie in front of each of them.

"So, what are you up to?" Wilson gaze was intent on his friend.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Encouraging me to work here suddenly. Making nice with Hadley. I don't think you've called her Thirteen in a couple of days. You're up to something, and I've a feeling Cameron has some idea of what it is. So tell me too."

"You said yourself she's rubbed off on me."

"Come now. I know you. It's more than nice, caring Cameron's influence. Are you leaving Snow Hill?"

House hesitated.

"You are! Wow! I thought you loved it at this hospital, found a home."

"Wilson, you think you know me. Guess you still have lots to learn." House didn't say another word, no matter how many questions Wilson asked. There was a reason he'd turned deflection into an art form.

Finally, Wilson rose and bused their empty mugs and plates. "I'm going to check in on Nora. Coming?"

"Nah, go ahead. Time to collect a few more Thank Yous."

House watched him go, wondering how long he could keep his plans from his friend.

Between testing the latest vials on two lab mice, Jessica slipped a vial into one of the specimen envelopes Anita gave her. She pocketed the sample along with a slip of paper with the time and date she took the sample. She even snapped a picture of the second mouse before administering the drug and ten minutes later as the effects began to show.

"What do you think you're doing?" Lombardy shouted.

She jumped. But he wasn't looking her way. He meant the researcher at the table next to his, Dr. Leland.

"We're not here to pet the lab animals but to test the formulations on them." Lombardy glared.

Margaret Leland was a timid, quiet woman. Jess felt sorry for her at the same time she was glad she wasn't the subject of Lombardy's annoyance.

"She seemed so frightened," Leland said. "Just as people don't react well when they're nervous, neither do any animals. If you're any kind of animal doctor, you should know that."

Out of the corner of her eye, Jessica noticed Mortimer's eyebrows shoot up as he quickly scribbled a few words on his log.

But while Lombardy was busy castigating Leland, both Jess and Mortimer bagged more samples for Anita.

Cameron finally received a call back from Anderson. "Chief, what did you find? What was the disturbance at the factory?"

"Unfortunately, it turned out to be nothing."

Cameron's heart sank. "We were at the house this morning and finally saw how close the place is to our property line."

"We can't prove it was a truck from there that made the tire marks on your land, although they did lead toward the building. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough to get the right to inspect the ground closer to the plant." He sighed. "We hoped this morning's commotion would allow us to get nearer, but Marshall's people were able to explain that away."

"That's disappointing." Not at all what she hoped for.

"Yeah. And even more disappointing, we're having a hard time getting evidence of any wrongdoing by Marshall Pharmaceuticals." Anderson sighed. "Afraid we're at a dead end."

"At least the Feds are still working on it," she told him.

"They are?" He was more surprised than she expected. In fact, he grinned.

"Yes. They're working from another angle. It's possible they'll get the FDA involved."

"Well that's something, at least. Guess you can't tell me about their approach."

Cameron shook her head even though she knew he couldn't see her. "Sorry, I can't, but maybe the agent on the case will contact you. I'll tell her what you've told me and suggest she call you to coordinate efforts."

"Thanks, Doc." He sounded ready to say good-bye, but before he did, he asked, "Heard any more from your friend in Princeton?"

So much had happened, she'd almost forgotten about the hospital explosion and the aftermath. "Last I heard, they had the accused in custody. I expect they've closed that case, which is good because it means they can rebuild PPTH." Even more, it meant House and Wilson's connection to the case was over.

Wilson found Meisner in recovery, sitting at his wife's side.

"She's not awake yet," the hospital administrator said.

"I'm certain we removed all the cancer cells. She'll recover quickly."

Nora's eyes flickered open. Through parched lips she whispered, "Is it over?"

"Yes, my dear. You did splendidly," Meisner said. "And Dr. Wilson here did everything we needed."

"We'll do some scans after a week or so. Then we'll have a better idea of what kind of post-operative treatment we'll do, how much chemo you might need to prevent recurrence."

"And the growth in my brain?"

"It's not as important to your overall health as what we took care of today," Wilson told her. "As we told you, we'll wait until you've recovered your strength before we schedule that surgery."

She smiled at him. "Thank you, Dr. Wilson. I'm so glad you agreed to operate on me."

"Very happy to do anything I can." Wilson took her hand and squeezed it, then took her husband's and shook it.

The orderlies came to take her back to her room leaving Wilson with Dr. Meisner.

"Can I ask you something?" Wilson asked.

"I'll answer if I can."

"What is House planning? Did he say anything to you?"

"House?" Meisner's gray eyebrows moved closer together. "No. He watched the surgery with me."

"Yes, I know. I talked to him afterwards." Wilson studied his hands. "He's been acting strangely lately, saying things I'd never expect him to say."

"You think he's sick?"

Wilson held up his hands, palms outward. "No, no, that's not what I mean. He's planning something, but he hasn't said what."

"Does he usually tell you everything he's planning?"

Wilson chuckled. "Only if it suits him. Sometimes I have to deduce what he's thinking from the way he acts." He scratched the back of his neck. "This time, I'm flummoxed."

Jessica felt as if the evidence bag was burning a hole in her pocket, which it couldn't since there was nothing in them that would do that. She watched Mortimer take a sample, too, and put it in one of the plastic envelopes she gave him. She checked her watch, anxious for it to be five o'clock so she could leave and take the samples to Anita.


	98. Chapter 98

I'll be away the last ten days of the month, so I won't be able to post next week, and the week after will be late.

 **Chapter 98.**

Jessica breathed a sigh of relief when five o'clock came. She'd put away her remaining vials, covered the animal cage nearest her table, and grabbed her purse when Tolliver appeared in the doorway.

"I'm here to collect all the unused samples of the drugs you're testing," he said.

Jessica gulped. She hoped they didn't keep track of the number of vials given each researcher. Slowly, she took out the ones she'd just put in her drawer and handed them to Tolliver who put them in a shallow cardboard box.

"Is that all?"

"We've been testing all day. This is the batch I got yesterday, so there aren't many left." She clasped her hands to keep them from shaking.

He narrowed his eyes briefly, then took the four steps to Mortimer's table. "Dr. Mortimer."

Mortimer bit his lower lip as he handed over his vials, and Tolliver compared the number with those he got from Jessica. He grimaced but nodded once and went on to the next doctor in line.

"We'll bring you each new samples tomorrow." Tolliver's gaze swept the room, then he turned and left.

Jessica breathed more easily, as if she'd just finished a marathon in a respectable time.

House finally connected with the real estate agent and made an appointment to view the inside of the house that evening at seven-thirty. He hoped the electricity was on since he didn't want to see it in the dark.

A call to Cameron caught her between patients. "Tonight at seven-thirty," he said.

"What's tonight at seven-thirty?"

"We can see my new office."

"Good. I was afraid someone else would have gotten it before we even saw it."

He marveled at how she could worry about that. "It's been on the market for a while. Why would it suddenly sell?"

"Forget it." She changed the subject. "How'd Nora's surgery go?"

"Very well. I'm sure Wilson will tell you in gory detail if you ask him."

She chuckled. "I'd rather get your less subjective version."

"He removed the tumor and will have it biopsied, but knew it was cancerous. Still, he thinks he got it all. She'll need some chemo, of course."

"I'll try to visit her, although tonight's out if we're going to explore your new place." She paused. "What do you plan to tell everyone?"

"Whaddya mean?"

"When we leave after dinner, how will we explain it?"

He hadn't considered that. "I'll think of something. Meanwhile, go save the world from the flu."

She chuckled. "Will do."

When the call was over, he sat in thought for a long time. If he wasn't looking forward to meatloaf night at the diner, he would have suggested they eat elsewhere. Then they wouldn't raise suspicions when they left for the house.

Maybe it was time to come clean. He'd have to do it sometime, and also he'd have to approach Hadley about heading his team, sound her out on whether she'd follow Anita back to D.C.

Anita sat in her hotel room, working on her latest report for her boss. But her mind was on something Remy said the night before.

"I have a good job at Snow Hill, one I like. Never realized how confining PPTH was, how it stifled me."

Sadness overwhelmed her. "So when my work here is done, and I return to Washington, you plan on staying here?"

"The truth is, I don't know. I hate to change jobs again." Remy had taken her hand. "Part of what makes me feel good here is your presence. It wouldn't be the same without you."

Anita thought that through. "You're saying you want me to stay here too? What about MY job?"

"Isn't there a way you can stay? Can't you use Shelby as a base, rather than D.C.?"

Anita couldn't stop thinking about that conversation. Was there a way? It wouldn't be easy. Selling her boss on the idea might be the hardest thing she ever did.

She looked at her computer screen. What she'd typed was gibberish, a clear indication that her mind wasn't on the report. She deleted it all and started again.

Hadley, too, was thinking about her talk with Anita the night before. She knew it was a long shot, finding a way for Anita to stay in Shelby, but she had to try. She wasn't giving up her job at the hospital. But long-distance relationships seldom worked.

"Dr. Hadley, did you get the results of those lab tests?" The head of Pediatrics, Dr. Manning, never pressured her, letting her own desire to do the best job possible guide her.

"They should be ready now. I'll go get them." She smiled as she left the department. Whatever happened, she'd stay at Snow Hill.

The test results were waiting for her. She glanced at them, frowned and brought them back to Manning.

"Looks like we have more cases of flu, but it's a strain included in this years inoculations. I don't understand why they didn't work."

"We'll have to order a boatload more of antivirals. Tell the clerk at the nurses desk. Then you can go home for the day."

"Thanks. I will."

The department had two records clerks. The one sitting at the nurses station was the one she liked less. If it had been Lydia, she might have stopped to talk. Instead, she gave the order and left.

Jessica couldn't leave the lab and the building fast enough. She had her samples and Mortimer's inside her bra. The guards never checked there as employees left, just bags, purses and occasionally pockets. She made it to her car without a hitch and joined the five-fifteen exodus from the parking lot.

By the time she reached the diner, her breath rate was almost normal. She grinned when she saw Anita was already there. She practically laughed out loud.

"Well?" Anita asked.

Jess patted her chest. "Got 'em right here. I'll go to the ladies room and retrieve them for you."

When she return, the envelopes were in her hand. "Mortimer and I each got a couple of samples. It was a close call. Tolliver took back our remaining vials, but couldn't know how many we used." She stopped suddenly, hoping the cleaning crew didn't report how many empty vials and needles were in the Sharps containers. She couldn't dwell on what couldn't be helped.

Anita put the plastic evidence bags in her jacket pocket. "Thanks. I'll get these to the agency lab after dinner."

"Are they here in Shelby?" Jessica asked.

"Oh, no. Baltimore. I can be there and back in no time." She sipped her coffee as Cameron arrived.

She looked at the two women. "Your smiles say things went well today."

"I had a few tense moments," Jessica replied. "But all's well that ends well, I guess. Anita will take the samples to be analyzed. Based on how the animals reacted to the medicine in the vials, they should be proof that the company's standards are, shall we say, substandard?"

"What are your plans when this is over, Anita?"

"Still not sure. It depends on several factors."

"Including Remy?"

A single nod of her head was followed by a deep intake of breath. "I know she doesn't want to leave now that she's found a place where she's comfortable and has a good job she loves."

"D. C. isn't that far away," Jess said. "Jimmy and I talked about what would happen if we got jobs in different cities and decided, as long as they weren't too far apart, we could make it work."

"But even if I was stationed in Shelby, assignments would take me all over the country." Anita shook her head. "I don't know the answer."

Cameron remembered something from earlier in the day. "I talked to Chief Anderson. He's hit a dead end as far as the vandalism at our house, but he wants to talk to you to hear what you've learned about the manufacturing facility out that way."

"You didn't tell him anything?" Anita sounded surprised.

"I thought it would be better coming from you. Some of what you told us was in confidence."

Anita nodded. "Okay, I'll talk to him tomorrow."

"Do you have his number?" Cameron asked.

"Someplace."

"If you don't, I can give it to you."

House entered the diner alone.

"Where's Jimmy?" Jessica asked.

"He's not here yet?" House sounded surprised. "Guess he's still talking with Meisner and his wife."

"I take it everything went well," Jess said.

"Swimmingly."

Cameron rolled her eyes. "Of course it did. With Wilson in charge, there wasn't any doubt."

They all ordered the night's specialty meatloaf. Periodically, Jessica's gaze strayed to the door, but no one else arrived. When Linda brought their food, Jessica said, "I'm worried about Jimmy."

"You're just still on edge from what you did today," Anita said.

"Shouldn't I be? I mean, I don't know what would have happened if Tolliver realized I'd taken a couple of vials." Jessica shivered.

"But he didn't. It's all over." Anita scooped up mashed potatoes but before she put the fork in her mouth, she looked at Jess. "Call in tomorrow, come up with an excuse. Then in a couple of days let them know you've taken another job."

"Anita's right. You don't have to go back."

"But now I feel responsible for Mortimer. He has a family. If I leave him in a vulnerable position and they go after him, I'll feel terrible."

Anita put a hand on hers. "So call him and suggest he do the same as you."

"What kind of doctor is Mortimer?" House asked.

"What?" Jessica didn't seem to understand why he'd ask that.

"What's his specialty? Is he a veterinarian like you?"

She shook her head. "Actually, from what he told me, he's an endocrinologist."

"Tell him to call me," House said.

Anita and Jessica stared at him while Cameron's eyebrows shot up.

Before House could explain, Wilson finally arrived along with House's team and Hadley.

"We met just outside," Magnani said, not that anyone asked.

They played their usual musical chairs, adding seats from another table so there was space for everyone.

"Meatloaf's great tonight," Anita said.

"Meatloaf's always great." Simpson waved Linda over so they could order.

"Jimmy, Anita says I don't have to go back to the lab," Jessica told Wilson.

He grinned. "Great day all around."

"Except for all the folks coming into the hospital with flu," Hadley said.

"There too?" Cameron shook her head. "I think I've treated more flu cases today than in the year since I've been in Shelby."

"Didn't they get the shots?" Jessica asked.

"It seems either the shots didn't target the type of flu we're seeing or they aren't as effective as expected." Cameron sipped her iced tea.

"It's definitely one of the ones in this year's shots," Hadley confirmed.

Cameron noticed Anita's questioning look. "Anita, since you aren't a medical professional you might not know that the shots given each year target three or four strains of flu, and that's predicted based on what illness was prevalent the previous year."

"Does the pharma plant here manufacture vaccines?" Wilson asked.

Several sets of eyes stared at him.

"You think the vaccination supplies we got were tainted or not manufactured to standards?" Cameron asked.

He shrugged. "It's possible, right?"

"Wow!" Hadley said. "How could anyone do that? People depend on those shots."

"Doctors do, too." Cameron looked into her coffee cup. When she looked up again, her mouth had formed a grim line. "I still have some. Anita, can you get it tested?"

"Did it come from Marshall Pharmaceuticals?" Hadley asked.

"I never noticed. There's always a demand beginning in October, so I as just glad that I got a supply."

"We'll follow-up on that," Anita said. "Thanks, Dr. Wilson, for bringing up the possibility. Dr. House, you haven't said a word."

"I'd rather let you explore your conspiracy theories."

"Who said anything about a conspiracy?" Cameron asked.

"Do you honestly think a drug company would send out the wrong or tainted vaccines? Even one as corrupt as Marshall?"

"Why not? They haven't hesitated manufacturing animal meds that are too strong," Jess replied.

"Not the same thing. You're just beginning to blame all of the world's ills on that company because Anita's on the warpath against them."

"Why are you defending the company?"

"I'm not defending them, just hoping to put this all in perspective. If you were a company who'd do anything for profits, I could see you creating one medication that requires followup with another you manufacture."

Cameron snickered. "There. You've just proven the point. If people get the flu even though they've been vaccinated, they'll need antivirals. And who manufactures antivirals?"

A chorus replied, "Marshall."

House looked at them all, defeated for once. Maybe they were right. But he still wouldn't bet on it.


	99. Chapter 99

One more chapter after this one, and I don't think it'll tie up all the threads. But I'll take a couple of weeks off after that and then come back with a new story in the series.

 **Chapter 99.**

The team were still in the middle of a discussion with Wilson and Jessica at the diner about the team's latest patient. Anita and Hadley had left a half hour before to take the samples to Baltimore. That made it easy for House and Cameron to slip away.

When they arrived, a BMW was parked in front of House's perspective new office space. A tall blond stood next to the car and smiled when she saw House and Cameron. She held out a slim hand. "Diane Bancroft."

"House. Dr. Gregory House, and this is Allison Cameron."

Diane looked at Cameron a moment, closed her eyes, opened them and smiled. "You're the doctor who treated my brother, Jeremy."

Cameron returned the woman's smile. "Yes, I remember. He's a teacher at the high school. The girl's soccer coach. And he broke his wrist helping one of the students. Nice to see you again."

"Same here."

"So now that we're old friends, can we get down to business?" House demanded. "I'm here to see the premises."

"Of course." Diane led the way up the walk. "The former owner was a dentist, as you know, and built a home office in what used to be the front room and parlor." She opened the door. "It's separated from the rest of the house by a set of doors that can be locked."

They stepped into the reception area of the office that still retained the parlor's cabbage rose wallpaper.

"That's gotta go," House shuddered. "Hideous."

The examination room contained a dentist's chair in the center and cabinets arrayed around the walls.

"Guess we can replace that torture chair with an exam table." House opened a drawer. Empty.

A small office led off the exam room. Bookshelves lined one paneled wall, but the rest were bare save for the imprints of pictures or plaques that probably were hung there once.

"Did you want to see the rest of the house?"

"Did the dentist and his family live here?" Cameron asked.

"Yes, but they rented out a couple of rooms on the first floor and occupied the second and third floors." the real estate agent unlocked the door from the office to the house, and they walked into a large entryway. "There's a new street door off the driveway on the right side of the house." She pointed to a wood door with inset panels and glass near the top.

House had wandered off to inspect the first floor rooms. Cameron kept the realtor occupied so he could roam freely. "Tell me, when was the house built?"

"At the beginning of the twentieth century. I believe in 1912 or thereabouts."

"Really? That long ago? It's been kept in immaculate condition." She pointed to the banister of the stairway to the second floor. "Such fine woodwork." She pointed at the ceiling. "Crown molding and a rosette around the chandelier. You rarely see anything like that." The last she saw was in Pamela's house. This place reminded her of that one.

"The finest workmanship went into building this mansion. There are few like it left in Shelby," gushed the Diane.

"I'll say. Hardwood floors." Cameron noticed House heading for the back of the house, so she directed the woman to the right. "Is that a library?"

They walked into the room Cameron indicated. It was indeed a library, although few books remained on the floor to ceiling shelves lining two walls.

"This is wonderful," Cameron said. "Frankly, if we didn't have a house of our own almost finished, I'd want to move in here. You said they rented out the rooms on this floor?"

"Yes. There are four besides this one, which was used as a communal meeting place for the renters. Did you want to see them?"

"No need." She pointed up. "And the family lived upstairs?"

"Yes. That's still the way it was left."

They climbed the stairs to a wide landing with a hallway to the right and a complete kitchen to the left. "So the kitchen is more modern that the house."

"It was put in the same time Dr. Larson put in his office."

Cameron nodded. "I'm surprised it's remained on the market so long. It's a wonderful place."

When they descended, House met them at the bottom of the stairway. "Okay, down to business. How much? Remember, we'll have to do quite a bit of remodeling."

"Oh, not that much if you're planning on using the dentist's office as a doctor's. The owners are asking one million."

"That's why it hasn't sold. Six-fifty." His face was impassive, but Cameron knew he was hoping for a long haggle.

"They won't take less than nine-fifty." But Diane didn't sound firm.

House shrugged and started to walk away, stopped and turned around. "Seven-seventy-five."

Diane shook her head. "I might be able to convince them to let you have it for nine."

"Tell them eight and a quarter and not a cent more." This time he made it to the new front door.

Cameron flashed Diane a smile and followed him out to their car. Once they were away from the real estate agent she asked. "So, you liked what you saw?"

"It'll work. We can add an exam room or two and another office. What's it like upstairs?"

"We should be able to rent out the rooms. It's in as good a shape as the downstairs. Even more attractive, in fact." They got into the car. "Do you think they'll take you're offer?"

"Oh, I'm sure they will." He smiled.

"I'm so glad you're finished with that drug manufacturing facility," Wilson told Jessica as the two of them drove to the team's house.

"Now I'll have time to look for a place for us to live. Matter of fact, I made an appointment for us to see a place tomorrow. And after that, I'll see whether I can get my old job back, maybe full-time."

"Sounds good. Where's the house?" he asked.

"Not far from the square in the center of the city. One of those old mansions. Only had two owners. The last was a dentist who retired." She bit her lip. "I didn't know how much you wanted to invest in a house, though."

"I got quite a lot when I sold the condo in Princeton. Guess we can look for something in the seven, eight hundred thousand range."

"It's listed at one million, but it's been on the market a while, so maybe we can negotiate the price."

"First I'd want to see it," he said.

"Of course. Who knows what kind of condition it's in."

Hadley decided to tag along with Anita when she went to Baltimore to drop off the samples.

"We should talk about it," Hadley said.

"We have. I mean, you made it clear you're staying in Shelby." Anita turned off the state road onto a long drive to the agency's lab, tucked away in the woods not far from the city. "I shouldn't be taking you here."

"Why, is it a secret?"

"The Agency, like the Bureau, like to keep their facilities hidden from the public. You'd think they wouldn't care about a place like this, though." She parked the car, and they entered with Anita showing her badge.

"Who's your friend?" the guard asked, indicating Hadley.

Anita had a quick answer. "She's a witness to corroborate the transfer of evidence." She held out the sample envelopes.

The guard nodded and let them through.

Hadley looked back over her shoulder as they walked down a long hall to the elevators. "If they keep this place secret, you'd think they'd have much more stringent security."

"Yeah, you'd think, right?" Anita shook her head. They took the elevator to the basement. Across from the elevators there were double doors with a card reader beside them. But Anita didn't have to use her card. A man exited, held the door open for them.

Hadley's eyes went wide. "Guess they figure if you've gotten this far, you're authorized."

The room past the double doors was unlike any lab Hadley had ever been in. On one side were forensic science workstations equipped for chemical analysis of samples. A line of computers were in use along a short wall and examiners pouring over documents of various kinds in another area.

"They do the bullet and gun forensics back there." Anita pointed to a door to another room as she walked toward one of the workstations. "It's soundproofed."

The middle-aged man looked up. "Anita. It's been a while."

Anita smiled at his open face and receding hairline. "It has. This is a friend, Dr. Remy Hadley. I called the other day about samples I'd expected to receive of drugs for pets that might be formulated with higher doses than necessary so they're harmful rather than palliative." She took out the envelope and handed them to him along with the documentation.

He grinned. "Good to see we have documents to show a clear chain. Where they from?"

"Sorry, I can't tell you, but they're part of an investigation by my department. I just need an analysis to confirm our suspicions."

"Sure. I can have results for you by tomorrow this time. That work for you?" He put the samples and paperwork in a larger envelope and marked who gave them to him.

Hadley and Anita high-fived each other. "Thanks," Anita told the chemist. "See you tomorrow, then."

The two women got back in the car and returned to Shelby feeling relieved. But they still had the issue of how to handle their relationship after Anita left Shelby.

As House and Cameron drove to Edna's, he asked, "Do you really believe this flu outbreak was caused by bad flu shots?"

She shrugged. "It's possible, although I've never seen it happen before. But if they're as sloppy about their pet medicines and other pharmaceuticals, why not the batches they sent to doctors and hospitals in this area? I might even contact doctors in other parts of the country to ask what they're experiencing."

House grimaced. "That would go beyond negligence. I can't see a man like Owen Marshall letting that happen."

"He might not know about it." Cameron became lost in thought about the vaccine, so she was startled when House asked, "What did you really think of the house?"

"It could work well for you. In fact, if we weren't already building a house, I could see living there."

His eyebrows bounced up and down. "You were that impressed?"

"It's a wonderful house. I don't know why no one's bought it before."

He nodded. "Let's see what the owners think of my counter-bid." He pulled into the driveway and noticed the kitchen lights were on. "But first, let's see what our landlady has to say about it."

They found Edna in her kitchen, but she wasn't alone. Anna sipped a cup of tea. Both of them smiled when House and Cameron walked in.

After a bit of small talk, with House champing at the bit, he broached what was on his mind. "I saw a house today that already has an office in the front. It would work for a new office for me."

"You're leaving the hospital?" Anna asked in surprise.

"I'm opening a practice here, but first I need an office and staff."

"You're talking about Dr. Fitz's old place? Not far from the town square?" Edna asked. "He was my dentist before he retired. Now I have to go into Snow Hill to have my teeth cleaned."

Anna nodded. "Me too. I'm glad they kept the facade when they converted the front rooms into an office. Still so dignified."

House rubbed his ear. "Edna, we'd be renting out rooms the way he did. What would you think about acting as a sort of innkeeper?"

Edna seemed startled. "Landlady you mean? I'd have to give it some thought. It's a lot of responsibility."

"I'm sure you can handle it," Cameron said.

"I'd be happy to help," Anna added. "Edna, it'll be fun."

"I'll have to renovate some of the downstairs rooms, add to the office, but the entire upstairs will be available to rent."

"I've rarely seen you more excited about anything." Edna smiled at House. "All right. I'll do it."

Cameron grinned. "Now all we have to do is wait for a response from the current owners to House's offer."


	100. Chapter 100

This is it, the final chapter in this story, but not the end of the series

 **Chapter 100.**

When House and Cameron arrived at the diner the next morning, Wilson and Jessica weren't there. Then again, neither were the team, Hadley or Anita.

"Just the two of us for once." Cameron grinned as she sipped her coffee.

"Maybe we can put a sign up so only we can use this booth from now on."

"You don't really mean that. Don't you need your daily chance to snap at your team or tease Wilson?" She laughed. "Why, if it's only the two of us, how much fun would that be?"

"Oh, I can think of ways to make it fun." His eyebrows did a little dance, and she laughed again.

"Did you check for any response to your offer on the house?" she asked.

"Yeah." He tapped the phone he'd placed next to his breakfast plate. "Nothing yet. I'll let you know if I hear anything. What's on your agenda for today?"

"I'll check with other doctors on how many flu cases they have and where they got their vaccine."

He nodded and stuffed his mouth with hash browns.

She went on. "And I plan to check in with Will about when we'll be able to get into our house." She was becoming more anxious every day.

Wilson and Jessica arrived at the house promptly at nine. Diane was waiting for them. "I'm sure you'll love the place, but I have to disclose I already have one offer on the house."

Jessica frowned. "Well, we still want to see it."

She showed them the office in the front first and then the first floor rooms. "The dentist rented these out, but you can reconvert the place to a family residence."

"Where did his family live?" Wilson asked.

"Upstairs. Come, I'll show you," Diane repled.

They climbed the stairs, admiring the wood banisters.

"There's a complete kitchen up here with brand-new appliances. It was put in when the dentist converted the rooms downstairs into his office." She turned to them. "Were you considering using the office space? If not, you could easily rent that out."

"It's an awfully big house." Jessica walked room to room.

Diane pointed to more stairs, not as ornate. "There's also a third floor."

"Might be too big for us," Wilson said. "But I love old houses like this one. You said you had another offer?"

"Yes. The asking price is one million, but I have an offer of eight twenty-five." She waited for his response.

"That's a little higher than I'd like to go." Wilson looked at Jessica. Her face said it all. She'd fallen in love with the house. "I'll match the offer." He paused. "In fact, I'll up it to eight fifty." He grinned at the way Jessica beamed.

"I'll present the offers to the owners and let you know. It's Friday, so I may not have an answer until Monday."

Wilson and Jessica left her, hopeful that their offer would be accepted, and talking about how they could afford the house if their offer was accepted.

Hadley had gone to the hospital, so Anita drove to the lab on her own. She expected that the analysis of the samples she got from Jessica would show the pharmaceutical company was manufacturing drugs that would harm the animals they were intended for.

When she reached the basement labs of the facility, the same middle-aged man she'd met with the day before grinned at her. "These are very interesting. The dosage of the drugs is inordinately high. Normally we find it low, since the fillers are cheaper than the active ingredients, but in this case that's not so."

"And?" She knew there was more from his bright eyes.

"You're onto something here. The carriers and additives are the cheapest available, some previously banned by the FDA for their harmful effects."

She thought of their speculations about the flu vaccines manufactured by the plant and distributed to doctors and hospitals in the area. "I might get some other samples I'll want you to analyze. Not as clear a chain of evidence, but these were meant for people."

His eyes gleamed. "Bring 'em on."

Cameron had additional flu cases that afternoon. At least half of the patients had been given flu shots either by her or by doctors in Snow Hill. She called a few friends in Chicago to see if they'd seen a spike in cases.

"It's been about normal here," a former colleague told her.

That's what Cameron expected. "Where do you get your vaccines from?"

"A mid-west supplier. Why? Are you having problems?" she asked.

"We've had high numbers of cases both here at the clinic and at a hospital in a nearby town. We all got our vaccine from a local supplier." Cameron made a note to call other nearby towns to see what they were experiencing. "Thanks for the information. We may have to replace the vaccines we have with those from other suppliers."

She ended that call, and immediately called a hospital in Salisbury. After being transferred to a doctor she met a few times and introducing herself, she asked, "Tom, have you had increased cases of flu this year?"

The man replied, "Yes, even among those who've been vaccinated. We've been worried the shots these people received were for the wrong strains."

"Did you get your supplies from Marshall Pharmaceuticals?"

"As a matter of fact we did. Is there something wrong with their vaccine other than including the wrong strains?"

"We'll need an analysis, but we think the flu strains might be right and there's just something else wrong." She made another note. "Something that's preventing the shots from working. I'm working with someone who's investigating the company for the government. I'll let you know what she finds out."

House finally arrived at his office at ten thirty. He was surprised he hadn't heard from the real estate agent, but hoped no news was definitely good news in this case. His team was assembled in the conference room, no doubt deliberating their latest case. It wasn't that he couldn't care less, but, yes, he couldn't care less. He knew they could solve the case.

At eleven, his phone rang. Hoping it was the realtor, he picked up immediately. "Well?"

"Well what?" Cameron's voice held a hint of annoyance.

"Oh, thought you were someone else."

"Have another girlfriend?" Her tone became playful.

"Cameron, why'd you call?"

"Seems this area, the one served by Marshall Pharmaceuticals, is the only place flu cases have spiked."

"So, call the CDC," he advised.

She laughed. "I did. They thanked me for reporting it, but I doubt they'll do anything. They have other health issues to deal with and asked me to keep them informed. Kind of disappointing."

"And you expect me to come up with a resolution for you?"

"No!" She swallowed loudly. "I just needed to vent. And I wanted to know whether you heard anything from Diane."

"Not yet."

"What if the owners don't accept your offer?" she asked.

He sighed. "Then I guess I'll have to find someplace else."

Jessica took a deep breath and let it out, then walked into the veterinary practice where she'd worked part-time earlier in the year. The waiting room was filled with people of all shapes, sizes and colors and their dogs, cats, and bunnies of all shapes, sizes and colors. She grinned, especially when she saw a few pets she'd treated in the past.

"Mrs. Adler, how's Maisie doing?" She patted the Shiatsu on her head.

"Oh, Dr. Simpson, she hurt her left front paw, got it caught in a gopher hole." Mrs. Adler, a plump middle-aged woman with hair almost as curly as her dog's, lifted the injured paw.

"I'm sure Dr. Carter will be able to take care of her."

Just then the veterinarian ushered a man and his cat from his exam room. He noticed Jess immediately for he came to her and said, "You're just what the doctor ordered." Laughing at his own joke, though no one else did, he followed up with, "Are you back? Would you mind helping out here today?" His arm swept to indicate the number of waiting patients. "As you see, we're a little busy today."

"Yes, I'm back." She grinned. "I'll be glad to help today and every day hereafter."

He turned toward the patients and their owners. "Next two." A woman and her cat went with him into the exam room, and Jess took another woman and her schnauzer into the second one. She was definitely back.

Wilson's first stop when he reached the hospital was Nora's room. The administrator's wife sat up, reading a book, but she put it down when she heard him enter. She grinned. "Dr. Wilson, it's good to see you."

"Good to see you, too." He matched her grin. "Feeling better this morning?"

"Now that the anesthesia has worn off, I'm feeling a little pain here." She indicated the site of his incision. "But otherwise, I'm doing quite well, thanks to you."

"Good."

"I have so many questions, though. When can I go home?" She ticked them off on her fingers. "When do I start chemo? How long until the next surgery? And," she pursed her lips. "what are the chances the cancer will come back?"

"Those are the usual questions patients who've had a tumor removed ask me. The first couple are easy. You can go home tomorrow if your vitals remain good all day today. You'll start chemo in ten days. We'll have to monitor it closely at first to see how frequently we can treat you, and that will determine when we can do the next surgery."

He paused. "There's no definite answer to your last question. There's a ten percent chance the cancer will recur, but let's take this one month, one day at a time. The longer you're cancer free the more likely you won't have another tumor."

She swallowed and nodded. "I understand. So you'll be monitoring me closely?"

"Yes. We'll do periodic scans, looking for suspicious cells, catch any recurrence quickly."

"Knowing you'll be here to care for me and, well, as someone who'll answer my questions, will help." A weak smile tried to gain a hold on her face. "I know you'll be truthful, and that's a relief."

"I won't lie to you now. The road ahead won't be easy, but there are many people who'll guide you along it."

House finally received a call from the real estate agent at three that afternoon. "Dr. House, I wanted to let you know I've had another offer on the building. They bid eight fifty. Did you want to counter that offer."

He had been optimistic that the owners would accept his offer of eight and a quarter. The house would be perfect. He'd already spoken with Edna about it. He was more determined than ever that it would be his, so he leaned back in his office chair and said, "Eight sixty."

"All right. I'll get back to you," she said. "I doubt the other party will go higher than eight fifty."

The call ended, House stared out his window over the rooftops of Snow Hill. He hadn't seen anything better for his use than the house on Oak Street and dreaded having to look further if this fell through.

Diane called Wilson immediately after ending the call to House. "The other bidder has offered eight sixty."

Wilson sighed. Though the house on Oak Street might have been too big for their purposes, he had so many ideas about what he and Jessica would do with the extra space, including renting out the office. Maybe if they rented some of the rooms too, he could go higher. "Eight seventy." Whoever the other buyer was, he wouldn't let them have it.

Thus ends this story, but not the series. In the next one, (Welcome to) My House, we learn:

When will House and Cameron finally move into their new home?

Who will win the bidding war on the mansion, House or Wilson?

Why has the number of flu cases spiked in their area of Maryland?

Will Anita have enough evidence to indict Owen Marshall? Will she stay in Shelby with Remy Hadley?

Will Hadley take over for House with the team?

Will House's new practice be successful?

Will Nora's cancer recur?

And the resolution to any other threads I've left dangling.


End file.
